Visualization analysis of research progress and trends in coexistence of lung cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis using bibliometrics

Background

The incidence of lung cancer combined with pulmonary tuberculosis has been increasing, but there is relatively limited published literature on the topic of lung cancer combined with tuberculosis (LC-PTB) from a bibliometric perspective. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to quantitatively analyze the LC-PTB-related literature to better understand the current status of this field and identify future research trends.

Methods

We searched for articles related to LC-PTB using the Web of Science Core Collection (SCI-E) and conducted a visual analysis of publication quantity, countries, institutions, authors, journals, references, and keywords using bibliometric software (CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Scimago Graphica).

Results

As of January 8, 2024, a total of 460 publications related to LC-PTB were included for analysis from 3705 retrieved records. The number of publications has been increasing almost yearly, with most from China (n = 123), followed by the United States (n = 77). Taipei Medical University contributed the most publications (n = 11). Jing-Yang Huang and Yung-Po Liaw (eight documents each) ranked first among the included authors. The Journal of Thoracic Oncology was the most productive academic journal on LC-PTB. The aggregation of key nodes in the co-citation network and the chronological sequence indicated that LC-PTB research has shifted from initial hotspots such as lung diseases, bronchitis, and exposure to recent areas, including immunotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and nivolumab.

Conclusion

In this study, we visualized the current status of LC-PTB research as well as future trends using bibliometric methods, providing new insights into the differential diagnosis of LC-PTB and its related promoting mechanisms.