A bibliometric map of C. elegans in cancer research from 2005 to 2025

Cancer continues to pose a significant global health challenge, with numerous tumors still being identified at advanced stages despite considerable advancements in therapeutic interventions and imaging methodologies. Model organisms play a crucial role in elucidating tumor biology, identifying therapeutic targets, and assessing drug efficacy and toxicity. C. elegans, a simple but genetically tractable metazoan with extensive pathway conservation, is an important model in oncology. However, a comprehensive bibliometric overview of C. elegans in cancer research remains absent. This study aimed to map the knowledge structure and identify research hotspots and frontiers in this field.

We retrieved publications on C. elegans and cancer from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) and Scopus. Country/region and institutional contributions, authorship, journal sources, co-citation networks, and keyword co-occurrence patterns, were systematically visualized and analyzed utilizing VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Scimago Graphica, and Pajek.

A total of 5007 publications related to C. elegans and cancer were identified, originating from 93 countries/regions, 4,680 institutions, and 1,364 journals. The United States contributed the largest share of outputs and citations, followed by several major European and Asian countries, forming dense international collaboration networks. Co-citation and journal analyses indicated that genetics, cell biology, and oncology constitute the core disciplinary hubs of this field. The analysis of keyword co-occurrence and temporal evolution indicates a transition from fundamental research on conserved signaling pathways, such as RAS, p53, and let-7, as well as stress response mechanisms, to a focus on tumor-centric applications. This shift encompasses the development of model-based anti-cancer drug development and emerging strategies for early cancer detection.

This bibliometric analysis elucidates the global landscape and dynamic evolution of C. elegans in cancer research. Our findings highlight the growing role of C. elegans in the literature at the intersection of fundamental cancer biology, high-throughput drug discovery, and emerging diagnostic-related research directions. Future work is likely to focus on mechanism-driven target identification, integrated phenotypic and multi-omics screening, and AI-enabled chemotaxis-based approaches for cancer-related detection research and potential precision-oncology-associated applications.