A global bibliometric perspective on autophagy and tumor microenvironment in cancer research

Autophagy plays a key role in cell recycling and also has a double-edged sword role in cancer. It serves as a tumor suppressor in the initial phases but eventually maintains stress resistance in cancer cells. Autophagy plays a role in immune cell interactions and cancer-associated fibroblasts within the tumor microenvironment, managing metabolism, immune evasion, and angiogenesis that enable tumor development and drug resistance. Autophagy is, therefore, a major target for cancer therapy.

To investigate the function of autophagy and tumor microenvironment (TME) in cancer progression, we performed a comprehensive search of Scopus and PubMed. We mapped the collaboration network between different journals, countries, institutions, journals, and keywords using VOSviewer (version 1.6.20) and extracted relevant quantitative information.

There is increasing research into autophagy and the TME in cancer, with 3,002 articles showing a consistent annual increase. China and the United States have the highest outputs. "Cancer" is a leading journal in the topic, and "Frontiers in Oncology" is the most cited. Four primary research themes have been highlighted through keyword analysis. Autophagy and the TME play central roles in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancer, and natural products and drugs targeting the TME are promising. Nevertheless, manipulating autophagy can result in greater resistance to cancer.

In conclusion, our study utilized bibliometric tools to investigate the emerging trend of autophagy and TME in cancer. It is the first extensive bibliometric study to comprehensively map the overlap of autophagy and tumor microenvironment in cancer biology. Our results indicate leading authors, collaborative communities, knowledge gaps, and promising subfields like immunotherapy and hypoxia. The findings provide a strategic guide for future directions in research and therapeutic development in cancer biology.