Open Access

ARTICLE

Current status, hotspots, and trends in cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation: A bibliometric analysis

CHUCHU ZHANG^1,#, YING LIU^2,#, ZEHUI CHEN¹, YI LIU³, QIYUAN MAO⁴, GE ZHANG⁵, HONGSHENG LIN⁴, JIABIN ZHENG^6,*, HAIYAN LI^1,*

1 Institute of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China
2 Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China
3 Department of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, China
4 Guang’anmen Hospital, Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100053, China
5 Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
6 Oncology Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, 100029, China

* Corresponding Authors: JIABIN ZHENG. Email: ; HAIYAN LI. Email:
# These authors contributed equally to this work

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Novel Biomarkers and Treatment Strategies in Solid Tumor Diagnosis, Progression, and Prognosis)

Oncology Research 2025, 33(6), 1437-1458. https://doi.org/10.32604/or.2025.059290

Received 03 October 2024; Accepted 26 December 2024; Issue published 29 May 2025

Abstract

Objectives: Decades of clinical and fundamental research advancements in oncology have led to significant breakthroughs such as early screening, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy, contributing to reduced mortality rates in cancer patients. Despite these achievements, cancer continues to be a major public health challenge. This study employs bibliometric techniques to visually analyze the English literature on cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Methods: We systematically reviewed publications from 01 March 2014, to 01 March 2024, indexed in the Web of Science core collection. Tools such as VOSviewer Version 1.6.20 is characterized by its core idea of co-occurrence clustering. CiteSpace 6.3.R3 is distinguished by its powerful capabilities in bibliometric analysis, including co-citation analysis, co-occurrence analysis of keywords, author collaboration network analysis, and journal co-citation analysis, providing effective insights into research hotspots and detecting emerging trends. Bibliometrix version 3.0.3 offers rich visualization features, including collaboration network diagrams, citation distribution graphs, and keyword clouds. facilitated the analysis of the literature, helping to map out the current research landscape, identify pressing issues, and discern emerging trends, thus offering insights for future research directions. Results: The analysis revealed that major research hotspots include lung and breast cancer. Attention is predominantly concentrated on cancer treatment, subdivided into targeted therapy, immunotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine, and the development of new anticancer drugs. Significant terms identified in the study include immune checkpoint inhibitors, tumor microenvironment, and cancer stem cells. Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis highlights the evolving directions in oncology research, pinpointing nanotherapy, resistance to targeted therapies, and the integration of artificial intelligence as pivotal future research avenues in the prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of cancer.

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