Current Research Trends and Hotspots in Radiotherapy Combined with Nanomaterials for Cancer Treatment: A Bibliometric and Visualization Analysis

TL;DR

This paper analyzes trends in combining nanomaterials with radiotherapy for cancer treatment, identifying key research areas and future directions.

Contribution

The study provides a comprehensive bibliometric and visualization analysis of radiotherapy-nanomaterials research trends from 2004 to 2024.

Findings

China is the leading contributor with 50.41% of publications in this field.

Emerging research trends include targeted delivery, immunogenic cell death, and polymeric nanoparticles.

Abstract

This study investigated the evolving trends, current research hotspots, and future directions of radiotherapy combined with nanobiomaterials through a bibliometric analysis. Publications related to nanobiomaterials used in radiotherapy between 2004 and 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database and analyzed using VOSviewer, R, and CiteSpace. China emerged as the leading contributor, accounting for 1051 publications (50.41%), followed by the USA. Liu Zhuang is the most productive author in this field. American Chemical Society (ACS) Nano published the most influential articles and accumulated the highest number of citations. Advanced Targeted Therapies in Cancer: Drug Nanocarriers, the Future of Chemotherapy was the most cited, with 1255 citations. Citation bursts have revealed emerging research trends in targeted delivery, cellular studies, co-delivery strategies, immunogenic cell death, polymeric nanoparticles, tumor research, and drug delivery systems, indicating potential avenues for future research. Over the past two decades, nanomaterials for radiotherapy have gained substantial attention. Key areas of focus include enhancing the efficacy of radiotherapy, achieving targeted drug delivery, minimizing adverse effects, and integrating nanomaterials with other therapeutic modalities. Future investigations are expected to improve the precision of radiotherapy, augment radiation effects, and optimize the tumor microenvironment.

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