Abstract: Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), a key enzyme in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, plays an important role in cellular energy metabolism. When the IDH gene is mutated, the enzyme activity is altered, resulting in an accumulation of a large amount of the tumor metabolite 2-hydroxyglutaric acid (2-HG), causing severe epigenetic deregulation and dysregulation of gene expression, and promoting tumorigenesis. Recent studies have shown that IDH1 and IDH2 mutations are closely related to the occurrence and development of a variety of tumors such as glioma, acute myeloid leukemia(AML) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(iCCA) as well as their clinical treatment. It is of great significance to use IDH gene mutations as molecular indicators for detecting glioma, AML and iCCA tumorigenesis, and developing targeted drugs. This review is focused on the mechanism of IDH mutation, the relationship between mutant IDH and the development of multiple tumors, and the progress of treatment of IDH mutation in basic research and drug clinical trials.