Current perspectives and emerging trends in iodine-125 seed implantation: a comprehensive bibliometric analysis

Iodine-125 (125-I) seed implantation is a widely used brachytherapy technique for treating various solid tumors. This study aims to provide a bibliometric analysis of the research trends, key contributors, and emerging hotspots in this field.

A comprehensive search was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection, covering publications from January, 1960 to August 20, 2024. Bibliometric analysis was performed with VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the R package "bibliometrix" to examine trends in publications, countries, institutions, journals, authors, and keywords.

The analysis included 2212 publications, showing a steady increase in research output, with USA, China, and Japan leading in publication volume. The University of California System and Keio University were the most productive institutions. Brachytherapy and the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics emerged as the most influential journals in this field. Yorozu Atsunori and Wang Junjie were identified as key authors. Keyword co-occurrence analysis highlighted "cancer," "brachytherapy," and "radiotherapy" as core themes. Keyword burst analysis revealed evolving research hotspots, such as "hepatocellular carcinoma," "efficacy," "safety," and "transarterial chemoembolization," emphasizing concerns about long-term outcomes, safety, and treatment strategies for 125-I implantation therapy across multiple cancers.

This bibliometric analysis underscores that research on 125-I seed implantation is primarily focused on optimizing dosimetry, improving implantation techniques, and addressing long-term outcomes and safety. The findings emphasize the need for standardized treatment protocols to ensure consistent and effective clinical practice.