Global Research Trends in Bladder Cancer Biomarkers: A Bibliometric Analysis

Bladder cancer has traditionally relied on cystoscopy, which is invasive and associated with patient morbidity, prompting extensive research into non-invasive biomarkers specific to bladder cancer. This study aims to map the global research trends in bladder cancer biomarkers over the last two decades using bibliometric analysis methodology. A total of 1337 articles from 2004 to 2024 were retrieved from Web of Science Core Collection and analysed using the Bibliometrix R Package (K-Synth Srl, Naples, Italy) and VOSviewer (Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, The Netherlands). Research output in this field has grown from 21 publications in 2004 to a peak of 138 in 2021. China is the most productive country with 516 (38.6%) publications, and Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, is the most productive institution. However, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Japan demonstrated greater research impact with higher average citations per paper. Shariat, SF, and Lotan, Y, are the two most influential authors in this field based on average citations and network analysis. Keywords analysis revealed a shift in research trends from established protein-based biomarkers such as NMP22 and UroVysion (Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, Illinois, United States) to novel genetic and epigenetic markers. Future studies should foster greater international collaboration in translating these novel biomarkers into routine clinical practice.