Microbiome and cancer immunotherapy: a bibliometric analysis

Area of Science:

• * Oncology and Microbiology
• * Immunotherapy Research
• * Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Background:

• * The interplay between the microbiome and cancer immunotherapy is a rapidly expanding research area.
• * Understanding this relationship is crucial for developing novel cancer treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To systematically analyze the global research landscape, collaboration patterns, knowledge flow, and emerging trends in microbiome-cancer immunotherapy synergy.
• * To map the intellectual structure and identify key research paradigms within this field.

Main Methods:

• * Bibliometric analysis of 3,058 publications (2010-2026) from Web of Science Core Collection.
• * Utilized CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and bibliometrix R package for network analysis, keyword co-occurrence, and knowledge flow mapping.
• * Included co-citation, keyword burst, timeline, co-authorship, dual-map overlay, and knowledge flow analyses.

Main Results:

• * Significant annual publication growth (23.0%), with China and the US as leading contributors.
• * Identified core collaboration hubs and three distinct academic lineages (mechanisms, clinical translation, tumor-specific research).
• * Revealed evolving research hotspots, moving from gut microbiota and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) towards oral microbiota, engineered bacteria, and precision prediction.

Conclusions:

• * The field has evolved from basic mechanistic studies to a focus on precision interventions.
• * Multidisciplinary integration and clinical translation are identified as key future priorities.
• * Established knowledge flow pathways and academic lineages offer a framework for navigating this dynamic research domain.