Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy for Resectable Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: From Retrospective Studies to Randomized Evidence

Abstract

Abstract

Complete resection remains the only potentially curative treatment for localized intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), yet postoperative recurrence is common, particularly in patients with high-risk disease. Neoadjuvant systemic therapy may permit earlier control of occult micrometastatic disease, optimize the delivery of systemic treatment, and provide an in vivo assessment of tumor biology prior to major hepatectomy. These potential benefits must be balanced against treatment-related toxicity, surgical delay, and the risk of disease progression precluding resection. Early evidence was primarily derived from retrospective studies, which yielded inconsistent survival outcomes and exhibited substantial vulnerability to confounding and treatment-selection bias. The single-arm NEO-GAP trial subsequently demonstrated the feasibility of administering neoadjuvant gemcitabine, cisplatin, and nab-paclitaxel followed by surgical resection. More recently, the randomized phase II–III ZSAB-neoGOLP trial showed that neoadjuvant gemcitabine–oxaliplatin, lenvatinib, and toripalimab followed by surgery prolonged median event-free survival compared with upfront surgery (median: 18.0 vs. 8.7 months) without substantially compromising surgical feasibility. However, the interim overall survival analysis was inconclusive, and the generalizability of these findings beyond selected, medically fit patients treated at Chinese centers remains uncertain. This narrative review critically appraises the evolving evidence, discusses patient selection and perioperative treatment, and identifies priorities for future research. Current evidence supports the selective consideration of neoadjuvant therapy in medically fit patients with technically resectable but oncologically high-risk iCCA, rather than its routine use in all resectable cases.