Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy in cancer treatment: a bibliometric and visual analysis

Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is an emerging cancer treatment technology that combines the advantages of optical technology and immunotherapy to provide a highly effective, precise, and low side-effect treatment approach. The aim of this study is to visualize the scientific results and research trends of NIR-PIT based on bibliometric analysis methods.

The Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database was searched in August 2024 for relevant publications in the field of NIR-PIT. Data were analyzed using mainly CiteSpace and R software for bibliometric and visual analysis of the country/region, authors, journals, references and keywords of the publications in the field.

A total of 245 publications were retrieved, including articles (n = 173, 70.61%) and reviews (n = 72, 29.39%). The annual and cumulative number of publications increased every year. The highest number of publications was from the United States (149, 60.82%), followed by Japan (70, 28.57%) and China (33, 13.47%). The research institution with the highest number of publications was National Institutes of Health (NIH)-USA (114, 46.53%). Kobayashi H (109) was involved in the highest number of publications, Mitsunaga M (211) was the most frequently cited in total. CANCERS (17) was the most frequently published journal, and NAT MED (220) was the most frequently co-cited journal. The top 10 keywords include near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (166), photodynamic therapy (61), monoclonal antibody (58), in vivo (50), cancer (46), expression (31), breast cancer (27), enhanced permeability (24), antibody (23), growth factor receptor (16). Cluster analysis based on the co-occurrence of keywords resulted in 13 clusters, which identified the current research hotspots and future trends of NIR-PIT in cancer treatment.

This study systematically investigated the research hotspots and development trends of NIR-PIT in cancer treatment through bibliometric and visual analysis. As an emerging strategy, the research on the application of NIR-PIT in cancer treatment has significantly increased in recent years, mainly focusing on the targeting, immune activation mechanism, and treatment efficacy in solid tumors has received extensive attention. Future studies may focus on improving the efficacy and safety of NIR-PIT in cancer treatment, as well as developing novel photosensitizers and combination therapeutic regimens, and exploring the efficacy of its application in a wide range of solid tumors, which will provide an important reference and guidance for the application of NIR-PIT in clinical translation.