Research trends and foci in chondrosarcoma: A bibliometric and network analysis

Chondrosarcoma is 1 of the most common malignant bone tumors, with dedicated research being conducted by scientists worldwide. The purpose of this study was to guide researchers in identifying valuable scholars, institutions, and countries, provide recommendations for journal submissions, and explore research trends and hotspots in chondrosarcoma studies through literature analysis. Data for this study were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection website. The R package bibliometrix was utilized for citation metrics analysis, VOSviewer for network analysis, and CiteSpace for generating keywords citation burst maps. The analysis focused on publications from 2000 to 2023, identifying trends, authorship patterns, and collaboration networks. A total of 2085 articles were initially identified, but after excluding non-English articles and those outside the study's time range, 2022 articles were included. The field comprised 9954 author records, with an average of 6.37 coauthors per document and 13.9% international co-authorships. Publications in chondrosarcoma research have shown an average annual growth rate of 3.9%. The most influential author identified was Tang Chih-Hsin from China Medical University. Significant contributions came from China Medical University and Leiden University, with China showing a dramatic increase in publications while the United States maintained a leading position in the field. The study highlights an increasing trend in chondrosarcoma research publications and identifies key contributors and institutions. Cancer emerged as 1 of the most influential journals in the field. Future research is likely to focus on targeted therapy for refractory chondrosarcomas, indicating a potential new hotspot in the ongoing efforts to understand and treat this malignancy.