Etiological and clinicopathologic characteristics of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in young patients

AIM: To investigate the prevalence, risk factors, and clinicopathologic characteristics of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) in young patients.METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed in ICC patients referred to the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital in Shanghai, China. Among 317 consecutively enrolled patients, 40 patients were aged ≤ 40 years (12.61%). We compared the risk factors and clinicopathologic characteristics of these patients (group I: n = 40) with those aged > 40 years (group II: n = 277).RESULTS: Group I had distinct features compared with group II, including a low frequency of hepatolithiasis (P = 0.000); a high positive rate of serum hepatitis B surface antigen (P = 0.000) and hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated cirrhosis (P = 0.038); a high frequency of α-fetoprotein (> 400 μg/L) (P = 0.011); a low frequency of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (> 37 U/mL) (P = 0.017); and a high frequency of liver histological inflammation (P = 0.002). Although there was no significant difference between the two groups in regards to hepatic schistosomiasis, alcohol-associated cirrhosis and cirrhosis due to other causes (P > 0.05), they only occurred in the elderly group.CONCLUSION: The risk factors are significantly different between young and elderly ICC patients. HBV and HBV-associated cirrhosis are the most important risk factors for young ICC patients.