Jing Dong, Shanshan Gu, Yumei Zeng, Jiyan Shi, Yidan Hu, Zipei Zhang, Li Fu, Jiayi Song, Yun Xu
This bibliometric analysis has highlighted the predominance of North American institutions and the lack of international collaboration in this field, both of which may have implications for the future. Our findings also suggest a progressive shift from a treatment-oriented approach toward risk stratification and individualized interventions within the framework of precision medicine but indicate a slower pace than in many other areas of cancer. Future studies must consider how to fill these gaps.
BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in older people, yet older patients remain underrepresented in clinical trials, and evidence to guide their treatment is limited. This study aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis of clinical trial research among older people with colorectal cancer. It presents the research landscape, highlights advancements, and reveals research hotspots, evolutionary trends, and gaps to identify areas for future research.
METHODS: We analyzed publications on all types of clinical trials among older people with colorectal cancer indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection database between 2005 and 2025. We used CiteSpace software to develop visual maps showing the current research status and the evolution of research hotspots and gaps.
RESULTS: In total, 1,354 publications were included, with the volume of publications increasing over time. The top 10 authors published approximately 5% of the research in the field. Most of the top institutions were North American, and few strong collaboration networks were identified between authors or between institutions. Key research hotspots centered on clinical studies, with primary outcome measures focusing on quality of life, improvement in symptoms, and overall survival. There were important gaps in the literature, with few trials of immunotherapy and the gut microbiota among older people, suggesting a lack of evidence on how these therapeutic advances might benefit this group.
CONCLUSIONS: This bibliometric analysis has highlighted the predominance of North American institutions and the lack of international collaboration in this field, both of which may have implications for the future. Our findings also suggest a progressive shift from a treatment-oriented approach toward risk stratification and individualized interventions within the framework of precision medicine but indicate a slower pace than in many other areas of cancer. Future studies must consider how to fill these gaps.