Bibliometric and visualization analyses of cancer-related fatigue research published worldwide from 2001 to 2023

Peijin Li; Qian Wang; Li Feng; Zhiguo Ding; Weijing Fan

doi:10.3389/fonc.2024.1338325

Bibliometric and visualization analyses of cancer-related fatigue research published worldwide from 2001 to 2023

Front Oncol. 2024 Apr 30:14:1338325. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1338325. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Peijin Li^#^{1

2

3}, Qian Wang^#^{3

4}, Li Feng¹, Zhiguo Ding³, Weijing Fan⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy for Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
² Department of Oncology, Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
³ Department of Thyropathy, Sunsimiao Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Tongchuan, Shanxi, China.
⁴ Department of Thyropathy, Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
⁵ Department of Vascular Surgery, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Objective: Cancer seriously endangers human health and represents a global public health issue. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a distressing and persistent sense of exhaustion caused by cancer or cancer treatment, widely prevalent among cancer patients. This study aims to summarize emerging trends and provide directions for future research of CRF through bibliometric and visualization analyses.

Methods: A systematic search in the Web of Science Core Collection database from 2001-01-01 to 2023-05-18 were conducted. Only reviews and articles written in English were considered. CiteSpace and the R were used for bibliometric and visualization analyses.

Results: The analysis revealed that 2,566 studies on CRF have been published by 1,041 institutions in 70 countries so far. The number of articles published and cited annually have been steadily increasing. Eduardo Bruera published the most articles, and Julienne E Bower is the most co-cited author. The University of Texas System is the leading institution in cancer-related fatigue research. The United States and China have the largest number of publications. Supportive Care in Cancer published the most articles, and Journal of Clinical Oncology is the most co-cited journal. "Comparison of Pharmaceutical, Psychological, and Exercise Treatments for Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Meta-analysis", authored by Mustian KM et al. and published in JAMA Oncology was the most co-cited document. Keyword analysis indicated that research focus had shifted from "epoetin alpha" and "anemia" to "risk factors", "systematic review", "acupuncture", "anxiety", "traditional Chinese medicine" and "guidelines".

Conclusion: In conclusion, this analysis provides comprehensive research trends and knowledge network maps of CRF. Clinical physicians should concurrently focus on the anemia, insomnia, anxiety, and depression status of patients when assessing or managing CRF. Improvements in related risk factors also contribute to alleviating fatigue. Furthermore, it is essential to pay attention to authoritative CRF guidelines. Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine also have therapeutic potential, which merits further investigation. Researchers should draw attention to the crucial roles of inflammation, hypoxia, and mitochondrial dysfunction, which could be the frontiers.

Keywords: CiteSpace; bibliometric analysis; cancer-related fatigue; exercise; hypoxia; inflammation.

Publication types

Systematic Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was supported by the Capital Health Research and Development of Special (Grant Number 2020-2-4026), the Traditional Chinese medicine “double-chain integration” young and middle-aged scientific research and innovation team (Grant Number 2022-SLRH-LG-005), the Qin Chuangyuan “scientist + engineer” team construction of Shaanxi Province (Grant Number 2022KXJ-019), and the Key research and development projects of Shanxi Province (Grant Number 2023ZDLSF-56). The funders had no role in the design and performance of the study; extraction, synthesis, and analysis of the data; preparation, editing, and approval of the manuscript; and the decision to publicize the manuscript.