The Evolving Research Landscape of Radiation Enteritis Prevention and Management: A Data-Driven Analysis

Radiation enteritis (RE) is a common complication following radiotherapy, adversely affecting patient prognosis and quality of life. This study aims to analyze the evolving research landscape of RE prevention and management through a data-driven approach, aiming to delineate the developmental trajectory, identify research hotspots and emerging frontiers, and forecast future trends in RE prevention and management.

We conducted a data-driven analysis of relevant publications retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (2005-2024). Visualization tool was employed to examine collaboration networks, research hotspots, and trends. A supplementary search in PubMed was conducted to identify related clinical trials.

A total of 594 publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection were subjected to a data-driven visual analysis, while a supplementary search in PubMed identified 51 clinical trials to further clarify clinical research status. In this field, the main research topics include prostate cancer, rectal cancer, and cervical cancer, and the main research hotspots include studies on the pathological mechanism of RE, as well as research on the application of conformal radiotherapy, argon plasma coagulation, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and microbiota transplantation in the prevention and management of RE. Early burst keywords mainly include "conformal radiotherapy", "sucralfate", "home parenteral nutrition", "intensity modulated radiotherapy", and "hyperbaric oxygen therapy". In the past three years, the burst keywords in the outbreak period mainly include "efficacy", "chemoradiation", "stem cells", and "transplantation".

This study reveals that the field has gradually shifted over the past two decades from an initial focus on pathological mechanisms and symptom management toward etiological therapy, with current research frontiers centered on therapies such as mesenchymal stem cell therapy and fecal microbiota transplantation. Future efforts should be guided by this paradigm shift, prioritizing the resolution of specific translational challenges inherent to these emerging treatments, fostering the multidisciplinary collaboration essential in clinical practice, and advancing toward more predictive, preventive, and personalized management strategies for RE. These findings provide valuable insights and guidance for future clinical research and innovation in this field.