Qiao L, Luo YG, Wang QY, Yuan T, Xu M, Xiong GB, Zhu F. Artificial intelligence in the diagnosis and prognosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: Applications and challenges. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2025; 17(10): 111367 [PMID: 41114107 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i10.111367]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Guang-Bing Xiong, MD, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Biliopancreatic Surgery, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China. drxionggb@126.com
Research Domain of This Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Article-Type of This Article
Review
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Oct 15, 2025 (publication date) through Oct 26, 2025
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Journal Information of This Article
Publication Name
World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology
ISSN
1948-5204
Publisher of This Article
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Qiao L, Luo YG, Wang QY, Yuan T, Xu M, Xiong GB, Zhu F. Artificial intelligence in the diagnosis and prognosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: Applications and challenges. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2025; 17(10): 111367 [PMID: 41114107 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i10.111367]
Liang Qiao, Yu-Gang Luo, Tian Yuan, Meng Xu, Guang-Bing Xiong, Feng Zhu, Department of Biliopancreatic Surgery, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China
Qing-Ying Wang, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China
Co-first authors: Liang Qiao and Yu-Gang Luo.
Co-corresponding authors: Guang-Bing Xiong and Feng Zhu.
Author contributions: Qiao L and Luo YG made equal contributions to this work as co-first authors; Xiong GB and Zhu F guided the development of the structure and content of the manuscript, and made equal contributions to the work as co-corresponding authors; Qiao L completed the main part of the writing; Luo YG, Wang QY, Yuan T, and Xu M jointly completed the remaining part of the writing; Luo YG and Wang QY prepared the illustrations and tables, respectively; and all authors approved to submit the manuscript.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81902499 and No. 81874205; and Key Research Project of Tongji Hospital Scientific Research Fund, No. 2023A18.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Guang-Bing Xiong, MD, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Biliopancreatic Surgery, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China. drxionggb@126.com
Received: June 30, 2025 Revised: July 22, 2025 Accepted: September 18, 2025 Published online: October 15, 2025 Processing time: 108 Days and 16.6 Hours
Abstract
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a primary liver malignancy with increasing global incidence and mortality rates. The 5-year overall survival rate for patients with ICC is approximately 9%. Surgical resection currently represents the only curative treatment option. However, due to the high aggressiveness, insidious onset, and atypical clinical presentation of ICC, many patients either miss the optimal surgical window or experience early postoperative recurrence and metastasis. This poses significant challenges for hepatobiliary surgeons worldwide. Artificial intelligence (AI), as a prominent driver of technological advancement, offers promising new avenues for managing ICC. By leveraging powerful machine learning and deep learning algorithms, AI has demonstrated promising outcomes in ICC diagnosis, particularly in differentiating it from hepatocellular carcinoma, and in predicting critical prognostic factors such as early recurrence, lymph node metastasis, and microvascular invasion. These innovations can support clinical decision-making and ultimately improve patient outcomes. Future efforts should prioritize robust clinical studies evaluating the effectiveness of AI in ICC management.
Core Tip: The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced new possibilities for improving the poor prognosis associated with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. This review summarizes recent advances in AI applications related to the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and prediction of recurrence risk factors, early recurrence, survival, and treatment response in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Additionally, the numerous challenges associated with AI development are discussed, including nascent legal frameworks, vulnerabilities in data privacy protection, and a lack of empirical research in clinical settings.
