Publication trends and knowledge structure of prostate-specific membrane antigen radioligand therapy for prostate cancer: a bibliometric analysis, 2015-2025.

Abstract

Objective: To characterize publication growth, modality trends, and thematic evolution in prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radioligand therapy (RLT) for prostate cancer from 2015 to 2025, emphasizing beta-emitting RLT, targeted alpha therapy, and dosimetry-related terminology.

Methods: The Web of Science Core Collection was searched using a prespecified topic strategy. A fixed bibliographic snapshot was exported on 1 January 2026, covering records through 31 December 2025. English-language articles and reviews were included. After screening and postexport cleaning, 908 publications underwent bibliometric analysis using bibliometrix, keyword mapping, and reference co-citation analysis. Therapeutic modality was assigned by deterministic text mining of titles, abstracts, and keywords with a prespecified alpha-priority rule; dual-label analyses assessed alpha/beta co-mentioning. Dosimetry-related terminology was identified using prespecified dictionaries. Two reviewers independently assessed modality in a random sample of 200 records.

Results: Annual output increased from four publications in 2015 to 199 in 2025, although 2025 counts should be interpreted cautiously because of possible indexing delay. Under the primary classification, beta-emitting RLT predominated (698/908, 76.9%), whereas alpha-therapy-related publications accounted for 193/908 (21.3%). Under dual labeling, 149/908 publications (16.4%) co-mentioned alpha- and beta-based approaches. Dosimetry-related terminology increased over time and stabilized at approximately one-third of annual output after 2020. Inter-reviewer agreement was nearly perfect (kappa, 0.947-0.949).

Conclusion: The PSMA RLT literature expanded rapidly and remained dominated by beta-emitting therapy, with increasing alpha-therapy activity and broader incorporation of dosimetry-related terminology. These bibliometric findings characterize publication-level trajectories in PSMA RLT research and suggest priorities for standardized reporting, scalable dosimetry, and prospective treatment-optimization studies.