POEMS syndrome in the 21st century: A bibliometric analysis

POEMS syndrome is a rare and complex plasma cell disorder characterized by polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, high M protein levels, and skin changes. Understanding of POEMS syndrome has advanced rapidly since the 21st century. This study aims to summarize and evaluate the research status of POEMS syndrome in the past 23 years through a bibliometric and visualization analysis, and identify research focuses and emerging hotspots for the future.

POEMS syndrome-related articles published between January 1, 2000, and March 8, 2023, were systematically retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Data processing and visualization analysis were carried out using a combination of R software, HistCite, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace.

Since entering the 21st century, 3677 authors from 1125 institutions in 68 countries/regions have published 830 original and review articles on POEMS syndrome in 408 journals so far, among which the USA, Japan, and China published the most articles, and Mayo Clinic, Udice French Research Universities, and Peking Union Medical College listed the top three most prolific institutions. However, collaborative research across countries and groups in the study of POEMS syndrome remain significantly limited. Angela Dispenzieri ranked first in POEMS syndrome research from every aspect of authors, producing the most papers and contributing the most-cited article, followed by Satoshi Kuwabara and Sonoko Misawa. Internal medicine was the most productive journal on POEMS syndrome. "endothelial growth factor" was the keyword with the highest occurrence except for "POEMS syndrome", and "bevacizumab", "lenalidomide", "dexamethasone", and "management" were recognized as emerging topics.

This study utilized bibliometric and visualization analysis to systematically summarize the research of POEMS syndrome in the first two decades of the 21st century, offering a data-based and objective perspective on the field of POEMS syndrome and guiding researchers in the identification of novel research directions.