Mapping the future: bibliometric analysis of omics research trends in non-small cell lung cancer

Omics technologies, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and radiomics, play an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It is, therefore, essential to unveil the research landscape and future trends of relevant research. This study aims to explore the research fields based on omics technologies in NSCLC, elucidating the research status, hotspots, and trends from a bibliometric perspective.

The Web of Science Core Collection was utilized to retrieve relevant publications in omics technologies and their applications in NSCLC. By using the bibliometric methods and tools ("bibliometrix" R package, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace), data and visualized analyses for annual publication outputs, countries, institutions, authors, journals, references, and keywords proceeded.

A total of 5,337 publications were involved in our analysis. These articles, written by 32,286 authors, originated in 5,863 institutions from 82 countries and were published in 797 journals. The Journal of Thoracic Oncology and Clinical Cancer Research were representative journals in omics-based research in NSCLC. "Survival," "adenocarcinoma," "mutation," "epidermal growth factor receptor," "resistance," and "chemotherapy" were the highest-frequency keywords. Liquid biopsy and deep learning were also trending topics in omics-related research, according to keyword clustering, trend topics, and citation burst analysis.

Omics technologies, including genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, were widely used in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of NSCLC. And innovative methods, including liquid biopsy and deep learning, demonstrate a profound impact on advancing the understanding and treatment strategies for NSCLC and warrant further investigation.