Key result
Analysis of ~1,500 publications reveals growing radiation-induced heart disease research focused primarily on thoracic cancers.
Why the study?
Radiation induced heart disease (RIHD) impacts survival and quality of life in cancer survivors, but no researchers have performed a comprehensive bibliometric study.
Systematic Review (n=1,554)
This bibliometric analysis maps the landscape of radiation-induced heart disease research, highlighting a growing focus on thoracic cancers, preclinical models, and molecular mechanisms of cardiotoxicity.
Background Radiotherapy, a primary treatment for malignant cancer, presents significant clinical challenges globally due to its associated adverse effects, especially with the increased survival rates of cancer patients. Radiation induced heart disease (RIHD) significantly impacts the long-term survival and quality of life of cancer survivors as one of the most devastating consequences. Quite a few studies have been conducted on preclinical and clinical trials of RIHD, showing promising success to some extent. However, no researchers have performed a comprehensive bibliometric study so far. Objective This study attempts to gain a deeper understanding of the focal points and patterns in RIHD research and to pinpoint prospective new research avenues using bibliometrics. Methods The study group obtained related 1554 publications between 1990 and 2023 on the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) through a scientific search query. Visualization tools like CiteSpace and VOSviewer were utilized to realize the visual analysis of countries, authors, journals, references and keywords, identifying the hotspots and frontiers in this research field. Results After collecting all the data, a total of 1554 documents were categorized and analyzed using the above tools. The annual number of publications in the field of RIHD shows a continuous growth trend. In 2013, there was a significant rise in the number of linked publications, with the majority of authors being from the USA, according to the statistics. Among all the journals, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY BIOLOGY PHYSICS published the most relevant papers. Cluster analysis of the references showed that research on RIHD has focused on breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and Hodgkin's lymphoma (also among the three main clusters), preclinical research, childhood cancer, heart dose, coronary artery disease, etc, which are also hot topics in the field. High-frequency keywords in the analysis include risk factors, cancer types, heart disease, survival, trials, proton therapy (PT), etc. Conclusion Future research on RIHD will mostly focus on thoracic cancer, whose exact cause is yet unknown, with preclinical trials playing an important role. Preventing, consistently monitoring, promptly diagnosing, and timely treating are crucial to decreasing RIHD and extending the life expectancy of cancer survivors.
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Che et al. (2024) conducted a systematic review in Radiation-induced heart disease (n=1,554). Cancer radiotherapy was evaluated on Publication trends, hotspots, and frontiers in radiation-induced heart disease research. A bibliometric analysis of 1,554 publications revealed a continuous growth trend in radiation-induced heart disease research, with a primary focus on thoracic cancers such as breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.
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