Charting the blueprint: a bibliometric analysis reveals future strategies in lung cancer targeted therapy (2003-2025)

Lung cancer is recognized as one of the leading lethal malignancies worldwide. While targeted therapies have improved outcomes, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of this dynamic field is lacking. This study aimed to systematically map the knowledge domain, hotspots, and global collaboration patterns of targeted therapy in lung cancer.

Publications related to lung cancer targeted therapy between 2003 and September 2025 were retrieved through the Web of Science Core Collection. Bibliometric and visualization analyses were conducted with CiteSpace and VOSviewer. To ensure robustness, cross-validation was conducted using the Scopus database.

In total, 2,125 publications were identified, including 1,405 original articles and 720 reviews. The annual output showed a steady increase, with China contributing the largest volume of publications, whereas the United States and several European countries demonstrated greater citation impact and influence. Keyword and burst analyses revealed an evolution of research hotspots from classical driver mutations such as EGFR and ALK toward emerging targets including HER2, KRAS, and TROP2, as well as resistance mechanisms, immunotherapy combinations, and the tumor microenvironment. Globally, academic resources remain unevenly distributed, and international collaboration is imbalanced.

Overall, this study elucidates the evolving knowledge structure and research trajectory of lung cancer targeted therapy, while revealing systematic disparities between research productivity, academic impact, and international collaboration across regions. Cross-validation with the Scopus database confirms the robustness of these findings, which provide a structural and evidence-based perspective to inform future research prioritization, clinical translation, and global research coordination.