Correlation between Gut Microbiota and Tumor Immune Microenvironment: A
Bibliometric and Visualized Study
Abstract
Aim:This study aims to describe the current global research
status, identify the most influential countries, research institutions,
researchers and research hotspots through conducting bibliometric
analysis on literature related to the correlation between gut microbiota
and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) from January 1, 2014, to May
28, 2024, in order to provide insights for future research and
development trends. Methods:We searched for all literature
related to gut microbiota and TIME published from January 1, 2014, to
May 28, 2024, in the Web of Science Core Collection database. Then, we
further conducted bibliometric analysis and created visual maps of the
published literature on countries, institutions, authors, keywords,
references, etc. by using CiteSpace (6.2R6), VOSviewer (1.6.20), and
bibliometrics (based on R 4.3.2). Results:491 documents were
ultimately included, with a rapid increase in the number of publications
starting from 2019. The country with the highest number of publications
is China, followed by the United States. And Germany has the highest
number of citations of literature. From the centrality perspective, the
United States has the highest influence in this field. The institution
with the most publications is Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China.
However, the institution with the most citations is the NIH National
Cancer Institute (NCI) in the United States. As for the author,
Professor Giorgio Trinchieri from the National Institutes of Health has
produced the most results in this field. And the most citations are FAN
XZ. The results of journal publications show that the top three journals
with the highest number of published papers are Frontiers in
Immunology, Cancers, and Frontiers in Oncology. The top three
most frequently occurring keywords are gut microbiota, tumor
microenvironment, and immunotherapy. Conclusions: This study
systematically elaborates on the research progress related to gut
microbiota and TIME over the decade year. Research results indicate that
the number of publications has rapidly increased since 2019, with
research hotspots including ”gut microbiota”, ”tumor microenvironment”
and ”immunotherapy”. Exploring specific gut microbiota or derived
metabolites on the behavior of immune cells in the TIME, regulating the
secretion of immune molecules, influencing immunotherapy are research
hotspots and future research directions.