Research trends in microRNAs in glioma tumors: A data-driven exploration using a bibliometric approach

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) serve as crucial regulators of gene expression and are involved in many fundamental biological processes, including cell growth, differentiation, and programmed cell death. In recent years, a growing body of evidence has highlighted the vital role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis, prognosis, and therapeutic response of glioma tumors. Given the significant increase in research in this field over the past two decades, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis is essential to evaluate scientific trends, identify key researchers, assess international collaborations, and uncover emerging topics. Such an analysis can provide a clear overview of scientific advancements and existing knowledge gaps.

This study presents a systematic bibliometric review, with data collected from the Scopus database. The search strategy combined the keywords "microRNA," "Glioma," "Research Trends," and "Brain Tumor" in article titles, abstracts, and keywords. The timeframe for this review was from 2007 to 2025, and only peer-reviewed articles published in English were considered. The extracted data were analyzed based on several metrics, including the number of annual publications, research growth trends, prominent authors, national and international scientific collaborations, and keyword co-occurrence frequency. Data visualization and analysis were performed using VOSviewer software to map co-occurrence networks.

The analysis of publication trends revealed that research on microRNAs in glioma showed a consistent growth from 2010 onwards, peaking in 2020 with approximately 280 published articles, but has followed a downward trend since 2021. The co-authorship analysis by country identified China and the United States as the main hubs for scientific output and international collaboration in this domain. Among authors, Galina Gabriely (Center of Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, USA), Li Gang (Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, China), Wang Y (Department of Neurosurgery, Capital Medical University, China), and You Yongping (Department of Neurosurgery, Nanjing Medical University, China) were recognized as the most prolific and influential researchers based on publication volume and centrality in the co-authorship network (Gabriely et al., 2008, Li et al., 2013, Wang et al., 2025). The use of full names and institutional affiliations facilitates accurate identification of these researchers in international databases such as PubMed. The author co-authorship map revealed several active and focused research clusters. In the keyword co-occurrence analysis, terms with the highest frequency and centrality were "glioma" (n = 653), "microRNA" (n = 589), "glioblastoma" (n = 413), "mir-21" (n = 201), "migration" (n = 180), "biomarker" (n = 164), "prognosis" (n = 139), and "therapy" (n = 132), establishing them as the core concepts of the studies. Four distinct conceptual clusters were extracted: molecular and cellular mechanisms, clinical applications, signaling pathways, and comparative studies between gliomas and other cancers.To provide readers with a clearer and more comprehensive perspective of these thematic clusters, representative signature publications within each domain are highlighted. In the molecular and cellular mechanisms cluster, studies such as Chen et al. (2021) and Beylerli et al., 2022b, Beylerli et al., 2022a have elucidated how specific microRNAs regulate glioma cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. Within the clinical applications cluster, Tluli et al., 2023a, Tluli et al., 2023 and Mafi et al. (2022) have emphasized the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic potential of microRNA signatures in glioma patients. Regarding signaling pathways, Ahmed et al. (2021) and Makowska et al. (2023) have detailed the involvement of miRNA-mediated modulation of pathways such as PI3K/AKT, p53, and Wnt/β-catenin in glioblastoma progression. Finally, in the comparative oncology cluster, studies examining shared microRNA regulatory patterns across glioma and other malignanciesincluding hepatocellular carcinoma and osteosarcoma have been reported by Faramin Lashkarian et al. (2023) and related works, illustrating the broader oncogenic and tumor-suppressive roles of microRNAs across cancer types. The inclusion of these representative publications strengthens the conceptual interpretation of the bibliometric clusters and situates the findings within the broader scientific literature.

The findings of this bibliometric study indicate that research in the field of microRNAs and glioma has experienced significant growth over the last two decades, with several key countries, institutions, and authors playing a prominent role in its advancement. Emerging topics such as diagnostic biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and miRNA-related signaling pathways in glioma tumors are central to recent research. This analysis can assist researchers and scientific policymakers in identifying knowledge gaps, strengthening international collaborations, and directing future research efforts.