Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy in Breast Cancer Detection: A Bibliometric Review and Landscape of Global Trends

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) has emerged as a powerful analytical platform for breast cancer (BC) detection, offering ultrasensitive, multiplexed, and label-free molecular recognition. However, despite the rapid expansion of the field, no prior study has combined quantitative bibliometric mapping with a cluster-validated technical and translational synthesis, limiting a comprehensive understanding of the field's structure, evolution and clinical projection. In this review, a PRISMA-guided bibliometric analysis was conducted; 199 articles on SERS-based BC detection (2016-2025) were retrieved from SCOPUS, Web of Science and Google Scholar, mapping publication trends, keyword co-occurrence networks (VOSviewer), and Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) with hierarchical clustering on principal components. The results reveal sustained growth in scientific output, led by Asia, North America, and Europe. The 20 most-cited articles (271 citations maximum) showed a shift from substrate optimization toward AI-assisted liquid biopsy platforms. MCA identified five clusters, corroborated by the co-occurrence network: (1) nanostructured platforms for diagnosis; (2) biofunctionalization strategies; (3) liquid biopsy approaches targeting exosomes, circulating tumor cells, and alternative biofluids; (4) diagnostic interpretation based on chemometrics, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI); and (5) translational achievements in preclinical and clinical studies. Each cluster was anchored by a technical sub-analysis of its landmark studies, an integration largely absent from prior SERS reviews. This framework clarifies the field's trajectory and positions SERS as a key technology for non-invasive, personalized diagnostics in precision oncology.