Bibliometric analysis of global research on breast cancer with HER2-low expression

The abnormal expression of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) is closely related to the prognosis of breast cancer. Since the concept of HER2-low expression was introduced in 2018, researches on HER2-low expression breast cancer have burgeoned. This bibliometric analysis seeks to evaluate the worldwide distribution of literature, research focuses, and upcoming trends in HER2-low expression breast cancer research.

We extensively searched for articles on HER2-low expression breast cancer from January 2018 to March 2025 using the Web of Science database. By employing the Bibliometrix, VOSviewer and CiteSpace, we systematically examined information regarding countries, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords.

A total of 573 literature on HER2-low expression breast cancer was included. These literature come from 54 countries, 1145 institutions, and 4125 authors. China and the United States emerge as leading contributors to this field, with the Harvard University being the most prolific institution.Curigliano is the most influential scholar in this research domain.The leading journals in terms of literature sources are CANCERS and FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY.The most cited reference is "Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in Previously Treated HER2-Low Advanced Breast Cancer".Keyword analysis indicates that the research emphasis has shifted towards "prognostic factor", "immunohistochemistry", "targeted therapy", "diagnosis", "guideline", "overall survival" and "pathological complete response" in recent years.

This study applies bibliometric tools to analyze the literature on HER2-low expression breast cancer, which shows a notable upward trend and highlights the clinical significance, providing researchers with the priorities and hotspots in this crucial field.