Chen Yao-Xuan, Guo Feng, Rao Hao-Han, Fan Chong-Qi, Zuo Chun-Jian, Che Peng-Yu, Yu Cao, Chen Huan-Wen
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1, Youyi Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400016, China.
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The People's Hospital of Chongqing Hechuan, Chongqing, China.
Discov Oncol. 2025 May 14;16(1):765. doi: 10.1007/s12672-025-02643-8.
Esophageal cancer (EC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a promising, minimally invasive treatment for EC due to its high selectivity. However, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of PDT in EC is lacking. This study aims to assess research trends, key contributors, and emerging themes in PDT for EC from 1985 to 2024.
We performed a bibliometric analysis using data from the Web of Science Core Collection. VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the R package 'bibliometrix' were employed to examine publication trends, collaboration networks, and primary research themes related to PDT in EC.
The analysis included 581 publications by 2037 researchers from 593 institutions across 40 countries. The United States, China, and England were the top contributors, with significant input from the Mayo Clinic and Thompson Cancer Survival Center. Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy was the most prolific journal, while Gastrointestinal Endoscopy received the highest citations. Research areas covered various aspects of PDT in EC, including its combination with endoscopic treatments, use of photosensitizers, palliative care applications, biological mechanisms, and nanoparticle drug delivery advancements. Emerging themes highlighted the application of nanotechnology in drug delivery, integration of immunotherapy, and exploration of the tumor microenvironment.
This bibliometric study reveals a global expansion in PDT research for EC, emphasizing new directions such as nanotechnology-enhanced drug delivery, immunotherapy integration, and tumor microenvironment studies. These advancements are expected to improve PDT's effectiveness, particularly in overcoming the limitations of current treatments for deeper and more advanced EC cases.
食管癌（EC）是全球癌症相关死亡的主要原因之一。光动力疗法（PDT）因其高选择性已成为一种有前景的、微创的食管癌治疗方法。然而，目前缺乏对食管癌光动力疗法的全面文献计量分析。本研究旨在评估1985年至2024年期间食管癌光动力疗法的研究趋势、主要贡献者和新兴主题。
我们使用来自科学网核心合集的数据进行文献计量分析。采用VOSviewer、CiteSpace和R包“bibliometrix”来研究与食管癌光动力疗法相关的出版趋势、合作网络和主要研究主题。
该分析包括来自40个国家593个机构的2037名研究人员发表的581篇论文。美国、中国和英国是主要贡献国，梅奥诊所和汤普森癌症生存中心贡献显著。《光诊断与光动力治疗》是发文量最多的期刊，而《胃肠内镜学》被引次数最高。研究领域涵盖了食管癌光动力疗法的各个方面，包括其与内镜治疗的联合应用、光敏剂的使用、姑息治疗应用、生物学机制以及纳米颗粒药物递送进展。新兴主题突出了纳米技术在药物递送中的应用、免疫疗法的整合以及肿瘤微环境的探索。
这项文献计量研究揭示了食管癌光动力疗法研究在全球范围内的扩展，强调了纳米技术增强药物递送、免疫疗法整合和肿瘤微环境研究等新方向。这些进展有望提高光动力疗法的有效性，特别是在克服当前针对更深层和更晚期食管癌病例治疗的局限性方面。
