Research Landscape on Adrenocortical Carcinoma Over Four Decades.

Abstract

Objectives: Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare but devastating endocrine malignancy. Our objective was to outline the academic output and trends through bibliometric analysis.

Methods: We searched the Web of Science Core Collection, PubMed, and Scopus to retrieve publications related to adrenocortical carcinoma using the structured three-step PRISMA methodology. Co-authorship and co-occurrence analyses were conducted to visualize collaborative and thematic networks.

Results: This overview comprises 5507 documents. The number of publications on adrenocortical carcinoma has consistently increased over time. Most of these publications originate from North America and Europe. The co-occurrence map identified several major research clusters, with immunotherapy and targeted therapy emerging as new treatment modalities in recent years. The number of co-authoring institutions per publication was positively correlated with citation counts (Spearman's rank coefficient = 0.17, p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: This literature analysis provides an overview of the current research landscape on adrenocortical carcinoma, highlighting geographical disparities. International and interdisciplinary collaboration may enhance productivity and foster scientific progress.