The research on early-onset intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma should be taken seriously

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma （ICC） is a highly malignant biliary tumor， and early-onset ICC （EOICC） refers to ICC with an age of ≤50 years at the time of confirmed diagnosis and often has a higher clinical stage and more significant biological invasiveness. At present， the incidence rate of EOICC is increasing rapidly， but the research on EOICC is still in its early stage. Current evidence has shown that EOICC has significantly different epidemiological， clinical， and molecular characteristics from late-onset ICC. Therefore， the research on the high-risk factors and pathogenesis of EOICC is of great importance for the early identification， diagnosis， and targeted treatment of EOICC. Due to the younger age and better physical condition of EOICC patients， they can tolerate medical interventions with higher risks， and active individualized diagnosis and treatment regimens can be adopted， allowing patients to obtain similar survival and prognosis as those with late-onset ICC. However， due to the significant differences in molecular characteristics between EOICC and ICC， existing targeted drugs may not be suitable for EOICC patients， posing a huge challenge for the systematic treatment of patients with advanced EOICC. The clinical and basic research on EOICC is still lagging behind， and the population characteristics and pathogenic factors of EOICC should be further clarified， in order to promote the establishment of prevention， diagnosis， and treatment standards for the EOICC population.