Metabolic Reprogramming-Targeted Therapeutic Strategies in Primary Liver Cancer: A Bibliometric and Visualized...

Metabolic reprogramming has emerged as a critical hallmark and promising therapeutic target in primary liver cancer (PLC), including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). However, the global research landscape, collaboration patterns, and evolving hotspots of metabolism-targeted therapeutic strategies in PLC remain unclear.

Publications related to metabolic reprogramming and therapeutic strategies in PLC published between 2005 and 2025 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Bibliometric and visualization analyses were performed using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and RStudio to evaluate publication trends, collaborative networks, co-cited references, and keyword evolution.

A total of 1,316 publications involving 9,216 authors from 1,805 institutions across 62 countries/regions were included. China contributed the largest number of publications, whereas the United States demonstrated the strongest citation influence. Current research mainly focuses on metabolic reprogramming involving glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism, as well as tumor microenvironment-associated metabolic alterations in PLC. Keyword burst and clustering analyses indicated increasing attention toward immunotherapy resistance, tumor microenvironment remodeling, and metabolism-based combination therapies. Collaborative network analysis revealed active international cooperation, particularly between China and the United States.

Research on metabolism-targeted therapeutic strategies for PLC has expanded rapidly over the past two decades. Current hotspots mainly involve metabolic reprogramming and tumor microenvironment-associated therapeutic approaches. These findings provide a comprehensive overview of the evolving research landscape and may facilitate future mechanistic investigations and translational therapeutic development in PLC.