Research trends and hotspots of CAR-T cell therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A bibliometric analysis

This study aims to analyze the global research patterns and emerging trends in CAR-T cell therapy for ALL through a bibliometric analysis. Publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. The bibliometric analysis utilized VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the R package "bibliometrix" to visualize collaborations, keyword co-occurrences, and emerging research trends. A total of 844 articles from 253 journals by 6,459 authors across 44 countries were analyzed, showing an annual growth rate of 40.08%. The USA (372 articles, 38,065 citations) and China (275 articles, 5,636 citations) dominated research output. The University of Pennsylvania (353 articles), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (170), and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (131) were the most productive institutions, while Blood (41 articles) published the most articles. Stephan A. Grupp (38 articles, H-index = 30), Carl H. June (26 articles, H-index = 24), and Shannon L. Maude (25 articles, H-index = 20) were the most influential authors. Keyword analysis revealed five research clusters, including basic mechanisms, CAR design, population treatment integration, clinical outcomes, and toxicity management. Burst keyword analysis showed the evolution from basic science (2010-2013) to clinical translation (2014-2016), toxicity management (2017-2019), and recently to long-term outcomes and risk assessment (2020-2024), with "term follow-up" and "risk" as the only keywords with active bursts in 2024. This bibliometric analysis reveals that research on CAR-T therapy for ALL has progressed from foundational concepts to clinical implementation and now focuses on optimizing long-term outcomes and patient selection. Future research should prioritize biomarker development, next-generation CAR designs, and combination strategies to overcome persistence, toxicity, and resistance limitations in ALL treatment.