A data-driven atlas of CAR-based immunotherapy in lung cancer: Insights from multidatabase integration

Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, and the clinical translation of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-based immunotherapy into solid tumors continues to be constrained by antigen heterogeneity, an immunosuppressive microenvironment, and stromal barriers that impede immune cell trafficking and curtail efficacy. Here, we present a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of CAR-based immunotherapy for lung cancer, drawing on publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus between 2016 and 2025. Bibliometric and network analyses elucidate global research trajectories, collaboration patterns, and emergent therapeutic themes, while clinical trial data from ClinicalTrials.gov further appraise translational progress. This landscape has expanded rapidly, with growing emphasis on CAR engineering, microenvironment modulation, precision targeting, and combinatorial strategies. Clinical evidence, though drawn from a still-limited number of trials, indicates generally tolerable toxicity in most reported cases; nevertheless, severe and occasionally fatal adverse events have been documented, underscoring the need for continued vigilance in safety evaluation. Antitumor efficacy remains modest, reflecting persistent challenges in target selection, tumor accessibility, cellular persistence, and functional maintenance. Emerging strategies, including multi-target CAR architectures, rational drug combinations, and biomarker-guided patient stratification, may offer avenues for overcoming these limitations. This study furnishes a data-driven pharmacological atlas of CAR-based immunotherapy in lung cancer, illuminating key therapeutic targets, evolving treatment paradigms, and prospective opportunities for clinical translation.