Global research trends in traditional and complementary medicine for cancer supportive care: a bibliometric analysis...

Cancer supportive care has become a critical component of comprehensive oncology, with increasing integration of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) to address symptom burden, quality of life, and survivorship needs. Despite growing research activity, a comprehensive mapping of global research patterns in this field remains limited. This study aimed to map global research trends, collaboration networks, and thematic developments in T&CM-based cancer supportive care.

A bibliometric and scientometric analysis was conducted using publications retrieved from PubMed and Scopus databases covering the period from January 2000 to November 2025. Bibliometric mapping and network visualization were performed using VOSviewer to analyze publication trends, co-authorship networks, institutional and country collaboration patterns, keyword co-occurrence, and citation structures.

A total of 5770 unique publications were analyzed. Research output showed modest growth in the early 2000s followed by sustained expansion after 2010, with peak activity observed between 2020 and 2024. The USA was the leading contributor in publications, citations, and international collaboration, followed by China and the UK. The literature demonstrated a strong patient-centered thematic orientation emphasizing quality of life, symptom management, and supportive care outcomes. Keyword clustering highlighted the growing role of traditional and complementary medicine modalities within integrative oncology. Collaboration networks were globally distributed but regionally concentrated, with limited cross-regional integration.

Global research on T&CM in cancer supportive care has expanded rapidly and is increasingly oriented toward patient-centered outcomes. However, fragmented collaboration networks, uneven geographic representation, and methodological variability persist. These findings highlight the need for stronger international collaboration and well-designed clinical studies to support the evidence-informed integration of traditional and complementary medicine within supportive oncology.