Research trends and highlights in PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor immunotherapy in lung cancer: a bibliometric analysis.

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. This article aims to review the current research status and trends in PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor immunotherapy.

Method: On the basis of the Web of Science Core Collection database, literature on PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor immunotherapy in lung cancer patients was searched and analyzed for all years up to August 5, 2023. Bibliometric techniques were employed, including CiteSpace (6.1.R6), VOSviewer, and the Bibliometrix package in R, to examine publication counts, countries, institutions, authors, journals, cited literature, keywords, and research trends.

Results: A total of 1,252 documents were included following the screening process. The analysis revealed that China had the highest number of publications (512), whereas the institution with the most publications was the UDICE French Association of Research Universities Union (193). The journal with the most articles was the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer (48), and the most prolific author was Zhou Caixun from Tongji University in China (20). Co-citation analysis revealed that Borghaei H's 2015 article in the New England Journal of Medicine had the highest citation frequency. The clustering results indicated that the most frequently referenced keywords included predictors, treatment monitoring, and hyperprogressive diseases. There is a growing trend toward combination therapies, such as dual immune checkpoint inhibitors, and research into molecular mechanisms within the tumor microenvironment, aimed at enhancing the efficacy of immunotherapy and reducing adverse effects.

Conclusion: Bibliometric analysis indicates that PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors are pivotal in lung cancer immunotherapy. Research in this domain focuses on identifying biomarkers within the tumor microenvironment, addressing immune evasion and resistance to maximize efficacy, and mitigating adverse effects.