Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 18, 2026
Experimental Melanoma Immunotherapy Model Using Tumor Vaccination with a Hematopoietic Cytokine
Published on: February 24, 2023
From mechanism to clinical: research evolution and hotspot analysis of CD276/B7-H3 in cancer immunotherapy
Chaojie Zhai1,2, Jiarong Ye1,2, Xiaoyan Li3
1Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Background:
CD276 (B7-H3) is a pivotal immune checkpoint molecule with dual roles in T-cell regulation and tumor immune evasion, representing a promising therapeutic target across multiple cancers. However, a comprehensive analysis of the research landscape, evolutionary pathways, and knowledge structure in this field remains lacking.
Methods:
Publications related to CD276/B7-H3 in cancer research were systematically retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoS, n = 688) and Scopus (n = 759) spanning from January 2001 to August 2025. After merging and de-duplication, a final corpus of 830 publications was analyzed using Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Pajek to evaluate publication trends, influential authors and institutions, collaboration networks, core journals, co-citation patterns, and keyword evolution.
Results:
The field exhibited exponential growth with an annual publication increase of 21.77%. China and the United States were the dominant contributing countries. Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer was the most productive journal, while Clinical Cancer Research produced the most impactful publications. Co-citation analysis highlighted foundational studies on B7-H3's prognostic significance and recent breakthroughs in CAR T-cell therapy targeting B7-H3. Keyword evolution revealed a clear transition from early themes such as "expression" and "prognosis" to contemporary focuses including "immunotherapy," "tumor microenvironment," and "chimeric antigen receptor".
Conclusion:
This study provides the first integrated bibliometric overview of CD276/B7-H3 research in cancer, illustrating a rapid transition from mechanistic exploration to clinical application. The findings underscore B7-H3's importance as a pan-cancer antigen and immunotherapeutic target, offering valuable insights for guiding future research directions.
Insights
This bibliometric analysis reveals rapid growth in CD276 (B7-H3) cancer research, shifting focus from basic expression to immunotherapy and CAR T-cell applications. B7-H3 is a key pan-cancer target.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Oncology
- Bibliometrics
Background:
- CD276 (B7-H3) is a critical immune checkpoint molecule involved in T-cell regulation and cancer immune evasion.
- It represents a significant therapeutic target for various cancers, yet a comprehensive analysis of its research landscape is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide the first integrated bibliometric overview of CD276/B7-H3 research in cancer.
- To analyze publication trends, influential entities, collaboration networks, and keyword evolution.
- To illustrate the transition from mechanistic exploration to clinical application of CD276/B7-H3.
Main Methods:
- Systematic retrieval of 830 publications from Web of Science and Scopus (2001-2025).
- Analysis using Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Pajek.
- Evaluation of publication trends, author/institution contributions, collaboration, core journals, co-citation, and keyword evolution.
Main Results:
- Exponential growth in publications (21.77% annually), with China and the US as leading contributors.
- Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer and Clinical Cancer Research identified as key journals.
- Co-citation analysis revealed foundational studies on prognostic significance and CAR T-cell therapy breakthroughs.
- Keyword evolution shows a shift towards "immunotherapy," "tumor microenvironment," and "chimeric antigen receptor".
Conclusions:
- CD276/B7-H3 research is rapidly transitioning from basic science to clinical applications.
- B7-H3 is confirmed as a vital pan-cancer antigen and immunotherapeutic target.
- Findings offer insights to guide future research in CD276/B7-H3-targeted cancer therapies.
