Research landscape, thematic evolution, and translational insights of immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced colitis: a...

In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors have been widely adopted in cancer therapy. However, their use is frequently associated with the development of colitis. This study employs bibliometric methods to analyze the knowledge structure and current research trends in immune checkpoint inhibitors induced colitis.

A systematic literature search was conducted within the Web of Science Core Collection database. Data analysis and visualization were performed using CiteSpace, VOSViewer, and the Bibliometrix package in R software.

The present study collated 1,010 papers on ICI-induced colitis from Web of Science Core Collection, encompassing literature from 62 countries/regions, 1,873 institutions, 7,385 authors, and 373 journals. The United States demonstrated leadership in two key metrics: publication volume, with a total of 470 publications, and total citations, with a total of 41,125 citations. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center produced the highest number of publications (n=83). Wang Yinghong (n=48) emerged as the most prolific author. The Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer was the most widely disseminated publication in this field (n=60). An analysis of keywords identified research trends beyond ICI, colitis, and irAE, including Ipilimumab, immunotherapy, Nivolumab, melanoma, cancer, and Pembrolizumab.

This study performed a visual analysis of the fundamental knowledge structure underlying immune checkpoint inhibitors mediated colitis. The results indicate that future research should prioritize the exploration of combination therapies, clinical case management strategies, underlying pathogenic mechanisms, fecal microbiota transplantation, and the identification of predictive and diagnostic biomarkers for adverse events.