Advances in neoadjuvant therapy for resectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: An invited commentary

Abstract Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) poses a significant threat to human health owing to its high malignancy rate and poor prognosis. Surgery is the most effective treatment option for ICC. However, the prognosis remains unfavorable even after surgical resection. Therefore, neoadjuvant therapy has emerged as a potential treatment option for patients with ICC. Neoadjuvant therapy can improve patient prognosis by reducing the tumor size and eliminating tiny lesions that are not visible to the naked eye. Nevertheless, specific treatment options for neoadjuvant therapy are unavailable. This review summarizes the studies on neoadjuvant therapy for ICC in the last decade, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, interventional therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, with the aim of providing suggestions for the selection of clinical treatment options for patients with ICC. Current reports suggest that chemotherapy is the most effective neoadjuvant treatment option. However, radiotherapy and interventional therapies require further investigation to obtain conclusive recommendations. Although targeted therapies and immunotherapies have been studied less extensively, several ongoing clinical trials are investigating these promising approaches.