Nanomaterials in Melanoma Immunotherapy: A 20-Year Bibliometric and Visualization Analysis

Melanoma is a highly aggressive tumor. Although immunotherapy has improved clinical outcomes, its efficacy remains limited by low response rates and acquired resistance, making nanomaterials promising tools for enhancing melanoma immunotherapy. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the research status and trends in this field using bibliometric analysis. Relevant publications published between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2025, were obtained from the Science Citation Index Expanded database within the Web of Science Core Collection. A total of 935 publications were analyzed using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, the Bibliometrix R package, and Microsoft Office Excel to identify research trends, major contributors, and emerging hotspots. The annual number of publications showed a steady upward trend from 2006 to 2025. China (577 publications) and the United States (264 publications) were the dominant contributors in this field, with most leading institutions from China and the most productive authors mainly from China and the United States. ACS Nano (69 publications), Journal of Controlled Release (59 publications), and Biomaterials (46 publications) were the core journals. Keyword analysis identified 3 major research hotspots: anticancer mechanisms, multifunctional nanoplatforms, and combinatorial therapeutic strategies. Future studies should prioritize the development of precision immunotherapy strategies and advance the clinical translation of nanomaterial-based approaches for the treatment of melanoma.