The 100 most-cited articles in spinal oncology

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Neurosurgery
• Orthopedic Surgery

Background:

• Spinal oncology is a complex field requiring multidisciplinary collaboration.
• Identifying seminal research is crucial for understanding the field's evolution and guiding future investigations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and analyze the 100 most-cited research articles in spinal oncology.
• To understand the historical trends, key topics, and evidence levels of influential spinal oncology research.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of the Web of Science database from 1864 to 2015 was conducted.
• Articles were ranked by citation count, and the top 100 were analyzed for research areas, evidence levels, journals, countries, and topics.
• North American Spine Society criteria were used for assigning levels of evidence.

Main Results:

• The top 100 articles were cited a total of 20,771 times, with the most prolific decade being the 1990s.
• Spinal metastases, intramedullary tumors, and chordoma were the most common topics.
• The United States was the leading country of origin, and the Journal of Neurosurgery published the most articles.

Conclusions:

• This study provides a definitive list of the most impactful research in spinal oncology.
• The findings underscore the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to spinal tumor management.
• Identifying historically significant articles can inform and direct future research endeavors in spinal oncology.