Mo PL, Lin M, Gao BW, Zhang SB, Chen JP. Knowledge structure analysis and network visualization of tumor-associated macrophages in hepatocellular carcinoma research: A bibliometric mapping. World J Clin Oncol 2025; 16(5): 102747 [DOI: 10.5306/wjco.v16.i5.102747]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Jian-Ping Chen, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Hospital Chinese Medicine Preparation, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 1 Fuhua Road, Futian District, Shenzhen 518033, Guangdong Province, China. lycjp@126.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Scientometrics
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Oncol. May 24, 2025; 16(5): 102747 Published online May 24, 2025. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v16.i5.102747
Knowledge structure analysis and network visualization of tumor-associated macrophages in hepatocellular carcinoma research: A bibliometric mapping
Ping-Li Mo, Ming Lin, Bo-Wen Gao, Shang-Bin Zhang, Jian-Ping Chen
Ping-Li Mo, Shang-Bin Zhang, Jian-Ping Chen, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Hospital Chinese Medicine Preparation, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen 518033, Guangdong Province, China
Ming Lin, Department of Hepatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong Province, China
Bo-Wen Gao, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, Guangdong Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Ping-Li Mo and Jian-Ping Chen.
Author contributions: Chen JP and Mo PL designed the study, and they contributed equally as co-corresponding authors; Mo PL conducted the data collection and analysis, and wrote the paper; Lin M manipulated the software; Gao BW performed the data analysis and validation; Chen JP and Zhang SB supervised the data analysis and validation and revised the manuscript.
Supported by the Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen, No. SZZYSM202111002; Shenzhen Medical Research Fund, No. B2302008; Shenzhen Science and Technology Program, No. JCYJ20220531091809022, No. JSGG20210802093208023, No. JCYJ20220818103402006, and No. ZDSYS201606081515458; and Traditional Chinese Medicine Bureau of Guangdong Province, No. 20231286.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jian-Ping Chen, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Hospital Chinese Medicine Preparation, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 1 Fuhua Road, Futian District, Shenzhen 518033, Guangdong Province, China. lycjp@126.com
Received: October 28, 2024 Revised: February 13, 2025 Accepted: April 11, 2025 Published online: May 24, 2025 Processing time: 204 Days and 7.1 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) have demonstrated significant potential as a research and treatment approach for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nevertheless, a comprehensive quantitative analysis of TAMs in HCC remained insufficient. Therefore, the objective of this study was to employ bibliometric methods to investigate the development trends and research frontiers pertaining to this field.
AIM
To determine the knowledge structure and current research hotspots by bibliometric analysis of scholarly papers pertaining to TAMs in HCC.
METHODS
The present study employed the Web of Science Core Collection to identify all papers related to TAMs in HCC research. Utilizing the Analysis Platform of Bibliometrics, CiteSpace 6.2.R4, and Vosviewer 1.6.19, the study conducted a comprehensive analysis encompassing multiple dimensions such as publication quantity, countries of origin, affiliated institutions, publishing journals, contributing authors, co-references, author keywords, and emerging frontiers within this research domain.
RESULTS
A thorough examination was undertaken on 818 papers within this particular field, published between January 1, 1985 to September 1, 2023, which has witnessed a substantial surge in scholarly contributions since 2012, with a notable outbreak in 2019. China was serving as the central hub in this field, with Fudan University leading in terms of publications and citations. Chinese scholars have taken the forefront in driving the research expansion within this field. Hepatology emerged as the most influential journal in this field. The study by Qian and Pollard in 2010 received the highest number of co-citations. It was observed that the citation bursts of references coincided with the outbreak of publications. Notably, “tumor microenvironment”, “immunotherapy”, “prognostic”, “inflammation”, and “polarization”, etc. emerged as frequently occurring keywords in this field. Of particular interest, “immune evasion”, “immune infiltration”, and “cancer genome atlas” were identified as emerging frontiers in recent research.
CONCLUSION
The field of TAMs in HCC exhibited considerable potential, as evidenced by the promising prospects of immunotherapeutic interventions targeting TAMs for the amelioration of HCC. The emerging frontiers in this field primarily revolved around modulating the immunosuppressive characteristics of TAMs within a liver-specific immune environment, with a focus on how to counter immune evasion and reduce immune infiltration.
Core Tip: This is the first bibliometric study to investigate the publications on tumor-associated macrophages in hepatocellular carcinoma. The findings revealed knowledge mapping and identified research frontiers within this domain. The primary emphasis of the emerging frontier lay in the regulation of the immunosuppressive attributes exhibited by tumor-associated macrophages within the liver’s distinct immune milieu, with a specific focus on countering immune evasion and reducing immune infiltration.
