Visualization analysis of research status and hotspots in breast cancer-related lymphedema: a comparison of domestic and international studies
10.3760/cma.j.cn114453-20240814-00209
- VernacularTitle:国内外乳腺癌相关淋巴水肿研究现状与热点的可视化分析
- Author:
Tianhua ZHANG
1
;
Qian ZHAO
;
Fang QI
;
Bihua WU
;
Hai LI
;
Xiangkui WU
;
Zairong WEI
;
Chengliang DENG
Author Information
1. 遵义医科大学附属医院烧伤整形外科，遵义 563000
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Breast cancer lymphedema;
Lymphatic drainage;
Functional exercise;
Bibliometrics;
Visual analysis
- From:
Chinese Journal of Plastic Surgery
2025;41(2):168-178
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To explore the research hotspots and emerging trends in the field of breast cancer-associated lymphedema, as reflected in the domestic and international literatures.Methods:The bibliometric method was used to retrieve literatures related to breast cancer-associated lymphedema from the Wanfang Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and the core collection of Web of Science, covering the time range from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2023. CiteSpace 6.3.R3 software was employed for analysis, which involved statistical assessment of the publication volume, authors, countries, and institutions, as well as the identification of highly cited papers. A co-occurrence analysis of keywords was performed, followed by burst analysis and cluster analysis based on the results.Results:A total of 4 419 Chinese-language articles were retrieved from the three Chinese databases, of which 2 888 were included after duplicate removal. The Web of Science Core Collection yielded 2 142 English-language articles. Among the domestic authors, the top three with the highest publication counts were Zhang Lijuan (25 papers), Jia Jie (22 papers), and Zhong Qiaoling (21 papers). In the English-language literatures, the top three authors with the highest number of publications were Singhal D (32 papers), Devoogdt N (27 papers), and Boyages J (27 papers). A total of 76 countries worldwide had conducted research on breast cancer-associated lymphedema, with the United States contributing the most publications (748 papers), followed by China (227 papers). In total, 642 institutions worldwide had publications on this topic, with 385 domestic institutions. The leading domestic institution was Jiangxi Provincial Cancer Hospital (31 papers), while the top foreign institution was Harvard University (118 papers). The Top 10 most cited papers focused on key research areas in breast cancer-associated lymphedema. A total of 359 Chinese keywords and 513 English keywords were included for co-occurrence analysis. The five most frequent Chinese keywords were quality of life, nursing, complications, upper limb function, and risk factors. In the English literatures, the top five most frequent keywords were quality of life, women, survivors, risk factors, and surgery. Cluster analysis of the keywords revealed 16 clusters in the Chinese literatures, with the largest cluster "functional exercise", while 17 clusters were identified in the English literatures, with the largest cluster "lymph node transfer". The five most consistent clusters in Chinese literatures were lymphatic drainage, rehabilitation, functional impairment, evidence-based nursing, and circumferential lymphatics. In recent years, emerging topics in Chinese literatures included lymphatic drainage, breast reconstruction, and pathophysiology. In English literatures, the consistent top clusters were transplantation, node biopsy, morbidity, identification, and randomized trials, with recent emerging topics including obesity, adipose tissue, healing approaches, lymphatic microsurgical preventive healing approach, and anastomosis.Conclusion:The research on breast cancer-related lymphedema both domestically and internationally shows similarities and differences in direction and focus. Common research hotspots across both domestic and international studies include lymphatic drainage, functional exercise, health behaviors, and lymph node transfer. Recent emerging topics in Chinese literatures include lymphatic drainage, breast reconstruction, and pathophysiology. In contrast, English literatures focus more on the areas such as obesity, adipose tissue, healing methods, and lymphatic anastomosis.
