Exploration of research hotspots and evolutionary trends in osteosarcoma pulmonary metastasis: A comprehensive bibliometric analysis spanning five decades

Abstract

Objective

Pulmonary metastasis frequently complicates osteosarcoma, making the investigation of its mechanisms and therapeutic strategies a focal point in both clinical medicine and biosciences. The explosive growth of the relevant literature has still not been systematically sorted out and summarized.

Methods

Bibliometric methods were used in this study, Literature was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection, SCOPUS, and PubMed up until July 1, 2024. Bibliometric indicators were analyzed and research trends and hotspots in the field visualized using the Bibliometrix package, VOSviewer 1.6.19 and Citespace 6.3.R1 software.

Results

A total of 1148 publications were reviewed, revealing that over the past five decades, the cumulative number of publications on pulmonary metastasis of osteosarcoma has gradually increased. China leads in the number of published papers, while the United States exhibits the most collaborative relationships with other countries. Italy is noted for the highest quality of research. Sun Yat-sen University is the most prolific institution, and the most productive author is Eugenie S. Kleinerman from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. “Cancer” is the journal with the most publications, and Zhou Yan's 2020 paper received the highest local citations. Keywords such as “angiogenesis,” “tumor microenvironment,” and “surgery” appeared frequently, suggesting these topics are current research hotspots.

Conclusion

“Immunotherapy”, “survival”, “chemotherapy”, “prognosis”, “biomarkers”, “metastasectomy”, “microRNA”, “angiogenesis”, “tumor microenvironment”, and “surgery” define key research areas. Current hot topics include tumor-associated macrophages and the tumor microenvironment, which may hold the key to future therapeutic breakthroughs.