Global research trend of graphene application in breast cancer: a bibliometric analysis

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy among women, and its incidence has steadily increased annually. Traditional diagnostic and therapeutic approaches have limitations, prompting an urgent need to explore innovative strategies. Graphene possesses notable advantages, including strong biocompatibility, excellent biosafety, and effective active targeting, providing promising new avenues for BC treatment. This study aims to evaluate the current status and emerging trends of graphene applications in BC using bibliometric methods. Publications related to graphene and BC were retrieved from the Web of Science core collection, screened according to inclusion criteria, and analyzed using CiteSpace and VOSviewer for data analysis and visualization. A total of 1395 publications were included in this analysis. From 2010 to 2024, the number of publications increased significantly. China and Iran dominate research output in this field, with China contributing the highest number of publications, total citations, average citations per paper, and H-index. The Chinese Academy of Sciences and Duarte de Melo-Diogo are the most influential institution and author, respectively, while Biosensors and Bioelectronics are the most productive journal. Recent research hotspots include the use of graphene in photothermal therapy and biosensing for BC. This bibliometric analysis comprehensively summarizes the current application status and research hotspots of graphene in BC and identifies future application trends. These findings provide valuable insights into the utilization and development directions of graphene in BC.