Research trends and hot spots in the prevention and management of radiation dermatitis: a bibliometric analysis based on CiteSpace.

Objective: This study sought to examine the current state and explore the key areas and emerging trends in radiation dermatitis prevention and management through bibliometric analysis, with the goal of providing valuable insights for future research endeavors.

Methods: This study analyzed all publications on radiation dermatitis prevention and management from the Web of Science (WOS) core database up to 2024. The CiteSpace software was utilized to visualize authors, countries/regions, publishing institutions, keywords, co-cited documents, hot spots, and research frontiers.

Results: A total of 459 articles (1995-2024) were identified, with the overall number of publications demonstrating an increasing trend. The United States (125) produced the highest number of publications, followed by China (73) and Canada (45). Key research topics encompass breast cancer, head and neck cancer, acute radiation dermatitis, and radiation recall dermatitis. Double-blind clinical trials constitute the primary research methodology. The main research areas in this field focus on the role of radiotherapy dose fractionation modalities, atmospheric pressure cold plasma, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), aloe vera, biomodulation therapy, and biological dressings in the prevention and management of radiation dermatitis.

Conclusion: This comprehensive bibliometric analysis reveals that risk prediction, assessment tools, and the efficacy of radiodermatitis are prominent research topics in the field. These areas are currently experiencing rapid growth and warrant further attention from researchers.