Global research trends and emerging themes in amino acid deprivation based cancer therapy: a bibliometric and...

Amino acid deprivation and restriction have emerged as metabolically informed anticancer strategies, encompassing dietary interventions, enzyme-mediated depletion, and pathway-targeted approaches. The fast-growing and highly interdisciplinary literature makes it difficult to obtain an integrated view of research foundations and evolving hotspots.

Publications on amino acid deprivation, restriction, starvation, or depletion in cancer (2006-2025) were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and cross-validated using PubMed. Bibliometric and visualization analyses were conducted with Microsoft Excel 2021, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Scimago Graphica, and Charticulator to map publication trends, leading contributors, collaboration networks, journal landscapes, keyword co-occurrence/clustering, and reference co-citation and burst patterns.

The literature showed sustained growth over 2006-2025, with expanding global participation. Collaboration analyses identified major contributing countries, institutions, and author groups, with a network structure characterized by highly connected hubs. Keyword mapping indicated that research themes are anchored in tumor metabolic reprogramming and amino acid-centered vulnerabilities, and have progressively diversified toward regulated cell-death programs and clinically oriented strategies, including enzyme-based depletion approaches and combination regimens. Co-citation and burst analyses highlighted influential conceptual frameworks in cancer metabolism and landmark translational studies that shaped subsequent research directions.

This bibliometric study delineates the knowledge structure and thematic evolution of amino acid deprivation-related oncology research from 2006 to 2025. The findings provide a quantitative reference to facilitate rapid orientation, identify influential contributions, and support future mechanistic investigations and translational development.