Minireviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Oncol. Apr 24, 2025; 16(4): 102374
Published online Apr 24, 2025. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v16.i4.102374
Review of the mechanisms of the biliary-enteric axis in the development of cholangiocarcinoma
Tian-Hao Shen, Xue Yu, Cheng Zhou, Yu Liu, Qiu-Ying Li, Wei Li, Ting-Hui Jiang, Yong-Qiang Zhu, Yan Liu
Tian-Hao Shen, Xue Yu, Cheng Zhou, Yu Liu, Qiu-Ying Li, Ting-Hui Jiang, Yong-Qiang Zhu, Yan Liu, Department of Interventional Oncology, Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200062, China
Wei Li, Department of Hepatological Surgery, Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200062, China
Co-first authors: Tian-Hao Shen and Xue Yu.
Author contributions: Liu Y is responsible for project design, writing ideas, guidance and writing articles; Shen TH and Yu X are responsible for data analysis and article writing; Zhou C, Liu Yu and Li QY were responsible for collecting literature and analyzing data; Li W, Jiang TH and Zhu YQ were responsible for guiding the writing ideas and finalizing the draft.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest in 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: Yan Liu, MD, Department of Interventional Oncology, Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 164 Lanxi Road, Putuo District, Shanghai 200062, China. 229442695@qq.com
Received: October 15, 2024
Revised: January 7, 2025
Accepted: February 13, 2025
Published online: April 24, 2025
Processing time: 161 Days and 18.2 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a type of cancer known for its poor prognosis and complex causes. Recently, researchers have focused more on the biliary-enteric axis's role in developing CCA. This review summarizes the basic concepts of the biliary-enteric axis and its potential mechanisms in CCA, including the microbiome's influence, changes in bile acid metabolism, regulation of inflammation, immune system involvement, and interactions in metabolic pathways. We integrate current research findings to explore the multidimensional roles of the biliary-enteric axis in CCA. This approach offers new perspectives for future research and identifies potential therapeutic targets.