Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and cancer: knowledge mapping and emerging trends based on a bibliometric analysis
Siyin Liu1, Guoqing Zhang2, Meijing Wang3
1Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumgi, China.
Objectives:
To systematically map the global publication landscape, collaboration patterns, thematic structure, and emerging research activity in the literature on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and cancer.
Methods:
A systematic bibliometric analysis of the literature on PFAS and cancer published over the past 20 years was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus database and analyzed with CiteSpace and VOSviewer.
Results:
A bibliometric analysis of 1126 publications revealed the principal publication and thematic patterns in PFAS-cancer research. The field has grown substantially since 2022, with the United States and China leading the global research output. At the institutional level, the Chinese Academy of Sciences was the most productive institution, while Environment International is the most prolific journal. Keyword clustering showed a well-defined and internally consistent thematic structure, encompassing specific PFAS compounds, cancer types, endocrine-disrupting effects, exposure assessment, emerging contaminants, and computational toxicology. Temporal analysis indicated a broadening of research attention from legacy compounds, particularly PFOA and PFOS, toward the wider PFAS class and a more diverse range of cancer sites. Keyword burst detection and timeline analyses identified network toxicology, molecular docking, machine learning, and lipid metabolism as areas of rapidly increasing recent research activity.
Conclusions:
This study offers a comprehensive overview of the global research landscape concerning the association between PFAS and cancer.
