A bibliometric analysis of global trends and insights of research on tumor metastatic organotropism

Résumé fourni par la source

Tumor metastasis is the process by which tumor cells spread from the primary tumor to distant organs. This process is not random. Different tumor types often tend to spread to specific organs. This phenomenon is known as tumor metastatic organotropism. This study aimed to systematically analyze global research trends and insights into tumor metastatic organotropism, focusing on key mechanisms and treatment strategies to support future advances. The Web of Science Core Collection was searched for documents from its inception in 1974 to 28 September, 2025. Bibliometric analyses and visualizations were conducted using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Bibliometrix, R, Scimago Graphica, and Pajek. The analysis mainly covered publication trends, countries, institutions, journals, authors, cited references, and keywords. These elements were used to uncover internal structures and interconnections within the field. A total of 7,206 authors from 1,566 institutions across 75 countries contributed 1088 papers on tumor metastatic organotropism published in 486 journals. Global research on tumor metastatic organotropism has shown steady and significant growth. Most publications originated from the United States, China, and Germany. Notably, the United States had the highest number of publications, citation counts, and contributing institutions. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center had the highest institutional publication output in this field. Cancer published the highest number of articles, whereas Cancer Research received the most citations (2,811). Yibin Kang had the highest publication output among the identified authors, contributing fifteen publications. Among the types of cancer metastasis, research on trends in breast, lung, and colorectal cancers is relatively prevalent. Keyword co-occurrence and citation burst analyses identified the pre-metastatic niche, exosomes, and immunotherapy as prominent topics in the analyzed study. This bibliometric study offers a comprehensive overview of the current landscape of tumor metastatic organotropism research. By summarizing the current situation in this field and identifying research trends, this study may provide useful insights and references for researchers aiming to effectively prevent and treat tumor metastatic organotropism in the future.