Scientometrics
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Oncol. Oct 24, 2023; 14(10): 420-439
Published online Oct 24, 2023. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v14.i10.420
What should be the future direction of development in the field of prostate cancer with lung metastasis?
Zhi-Guang Huang, Yi Chen, Tong Wu, Bin-Tong Yin, Xiao Feng, Sheng-Hua Li, Dong-Ming Li, Gang Chen, Ji-Wen Cheng, Juan He
Zhi-Guang Huang, Yi Chen, Tong Wu, Bin-Tong Yin, Dong-Ming Li, Gang Chen, Juan He, Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Xiao Feng, Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Sheng-Hua Li, Ji-Wen Cheng, Department of Urology, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Author contributions: Huang ZG, Chen Y, Feng X, Li SH, Li DM, Chen G, Cheng JW, and He J conceived and designed the research; Chen Y, Wu T, and Yin BT did the experiments, analyzed the data and made all the graphs; Huang ZG, Feng X, Li SH, Li DM, Chen G, Cheng JW, and He J revised the manuscript; and all authors have read and approve the final manuscript.
Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi, China, No. 2020GXNSFBA238017; Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Health Commission Self-financed Scientific Research Project, No. Z20200963.
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: Juan He, MM, Doctor, Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, No. 6 Shuangyong Road, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. hejuan@stu.gxmu.edu.cn
Received: August 14, 2023
Peer-review started: August 14, 2023
First decision: August 24, 2023
Revised: September 12, 2023
Accepted: September 25, 2023
Article in press: September 25, 2023
Published online: October 24, 2023
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Over the past 22 years, researchers have increasingly focused on prostate cancer (PC) with lung metastasis (LM), generating significant scientific output, but the accumulated knowledge has become disorganized and hindered research efficiency.

Research motivation

With the increase of researchers’ research enthusiasm in the field of PCLM over the years, scientific output has continued to increase, but there is no complete PCLM knowledge structure system. The purpose of this article is to establish a complete structural knowledge system and future development direction.

Research objectives

In order to further clarify the future development direction of PCLM, we reconstruct the global knowledge system in the field of PCLM. This research aims to help researchers interested in the field of PCLM grasp the research trends in this field more accurately and quickly, and to deeply understand the related fields and technology development trends. This study can provide inspiration and assistance in the development and promotion of the research field of PCLM on a global scale.

Research methods

The research gathered data on PCLM papers from Web of Science Core Collection (https://www.webofscience.com/) using a specific search strategy, resulting in 280 high-quality articles published between 2000 and 2022. Data was downloaded on May 2, 2023. We conducted a bibliometric analysis of keywords, publication volume, and citation frequency. Additionally, we selected differentially expressed genes from global high-throughput datasets and performed enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction analysis to further summarize and explore the mechanisms of PCLM.

Research results

Over the past 22 years, PCLM has gained attention, with uneven research distribution. Clinically, chemotherapy and immunotherapy are primary treatments, while diagnosis relies on prostate-specific membrane antigen and positron emission tomography/computed tomography. Basic research focuses on cell adhesion molecules and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3. Traditional treatments like chemotherapy dominate, but novel approaches like immunotherapy show limited effectiveness. This research unveils the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related pathway’s newfound associations with PCLM.

Research conclusions

Recent scientific advancements have drawn attention to PCLM. This 22-year bibliometric analysis covered clinical diagnostic, and basic aspects. Current treatment improves prognosis, but resistance and limitations persist. The study identified novel associations with COVID-19 and pathways, suggesting future research should explore these mechanisms. This research provides a foundation for advancing novel PCLM therapies.

Research perspectives

Future research should prioritize enhancing cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions and ribosomal mechanisms while improving existing cadherin binding and cell adhesion molecules.