Breast cancer radiation therapy: A bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature

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Highlights

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Breast cancer is common and radiation therapy (RT) is crucial in its multimodality management.
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Bibliometrics is a powerful tool to reveal the scientific literature.
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The annual scientific production growth rate is around 7% in the last two decades.
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The primary interests of breast cancer radiation oncology have evolved over time, adding different topics to the portfolio of interest.

Abstract

Background and purpose

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and radiation therapy (RT) is crucial in its multimodality management. Since bibliometrics is a powerful tool to reveal the scientific literature, we decided to perform a bibliometric analysis of the literature on breast cancer radiotherapy. We explored emerging trends and common patterns in research, tracking collaboration and networks, and foreseeing future directions in this clinical setting.

Material and methods

The electronic Scopus database was searched using the keywords “breast cancer” and “radiotherapy” to include manuscripts published in English, between 2000 and 2021. Data analysis was performed using R-Studio 0.98.1091 software with a machine-learning bibliometric method, based on the bibliometrix R package. The most relevant authors were quantified per number and fractionalized number of authored documents. Author productivity was analysed through Lotka’s law. Bradford’s law was applied to identify the nucleus of journals focused on the addressed topic. Mainstream themes area included isolated topics (niche themes), new topics (emerging themes), hot topics (motor themes) and essential topics (basic themes).

Results

A total of 27 184 documents was found, mainly original articles (76 %). The annual growth rate was 6.98 %, with an increase in scientific production from 485 to 2000 documents between 2000 and 2021. Overall, 2 544 journals published ≥ 1 documents. The most relevant authors were affiliated in the United States. Surgical procedures, cancer type and treatment strategies represented basic themes, while primary systemic therapy and sentinel lymph node biopsy were emerging themes. Health-related quality of life was a niche theme, while RT techniques had high centrality.

Conclusion

The primary interests of breast cancer radiation oncologists have evolved over time, adding safety, health related quality of life, sustainability of treatments and combination to systemic therapies to radiotherapy efficacy and effectiveness and treatment outcomes.

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Most cited references 49

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Global Cancer Statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries

Ahmedin Jemal, Lindsey A Torre, Rebecca Siegel … (2018)

This article provides a status report on the global burden of cancer worldwide using the GLOBOCAN 2018 estimates of cancer incidence and mortality produced by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, with a focus on geographic variability across 20 world regions. There will be an estimated 18.1 million new cancer cases (17.0 million excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer) and 9.6 million cancer deaths (9.5 million excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer) in 2018. In both sexes combined, lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer (11.6% of the total cases) and the leading cause of cancer death (18.4% of the total cancer deaths), closely followed by female breast cancer (11.6%), prostate cancer (7.1%), and colorectal cancer (6.1%) for incidence and colorectal cancer (9.2%), stomach cancer (8.2%), and liver cancer (8.2%) for mortality. Lung cancer is the most frequent cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among males, followed by prostate and colorectal cancer (for incidence) and liver and stomach cancer (for mortality). Among females, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death, followed by colorectal and lung cancer (for incidence), and vice versa (for mortality); cervical cancer ranks fourth for both incidence and mortality. The most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death, however, substantially vary across countries and within each country depending on the degree of economic development and associated social and life style factors. It is noteworthy that high-quality cancer registry data, the basis for planning and implementing evidence-based cancer control programs, are not available in most low- and middle-income countries. The Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development is an international partnership that supports better estimation, as well as the collection and use of local data, to prioritize and evaluate national cancer control efforts. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians 2018;0:1-31. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

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Cancer statistics, 2020

Rebecca Siegel, Kimberly D Miller, Ahmedin Jemal (2020)

Each year, the American Cancer Society estimates the numbers of new cancer cases and deaths that will occur in the United States and compiles the most recent data on population-based cancer occurrence. Incidence data (through 2016) were collected by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program; the National Program of Cancer Registries; and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. Mortality data (through 2017) were collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. In 2020, 1,806,590 new cancer cases and 606,520 cancer deaths are projected to occur in the United States. The cancer death rate rose until 1991, then fell continuously through 2017, resulting in an overall decline of 29% that translates into an estimated 2.9 million fewer cancer deaths than would have occurred if peak rates had persisted. This progress is driven by long-term declines in death rates for the 4 leading cancers (lung, colorectal, breast, prostate); however, over the past decade (2008-2017), reductions slowed for female breast and colorectal cancers, and halted for prostate cancer. In contrast, declines accelerated for lung cancer, from 3% annually during 2008 through 2013 to 5% during 2013 through 2017 in men and from 2% to almost 4% in women, spurring the largest ever single-year drop in overall cancer mortality of 2.2% from 2016 to 2017. Yet lung cancer still caused more deaths in 2017 than breast, prostate, colorectal, and brain cancers combined. Recent mortality declines were also dramatic for melanoma of the skin in the wake of US Food and Drug Administration approval of new therapies for metastatic disease, escalating to 7% annually during 2013 through 2017 from 1% during 2006 through 2010 in men and women aged 50 to 64 years and from 2% to 3% in those aged 20 to 49 years; annual declines of 5% to 6% in individuals aged 65 years and older are particularly striking because rates in this age group were increasing prior to 2013. It is also notable that long-term rapid increases in liver cancer mortality have attenuated in women and stabilized in men. In summary, slowing momentum for some cancers amenable to early detection is juxtaposed with notable gains for other common cancers.

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Twenty-Year Follow-up of a Randomized Trial Comparing Total Mastectomy, Lumpectomy, and Lumpectomy plus Irradiation for the Treatment of Invasive Breast Cancer

Bernard Fisher, Stewart Anderson, John Bryant … (2002)

New England Journal of Medicine, 347(16), 1233-1241

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Author and article information

Contributors

Pierfrancesco Franco

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Clin Transl Radiat Oncol

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Clin Transl Radiat Oncol

Title: Clinical and Translational Radiation Oncology

Publisher: Elsevier

ISSN (Electronic): 2405-6308

Publication date PMC-release: 05 December 2022

Publication date Collection: March 2023

Publication date (Electronic): 05 December 2022

Volume: 39

Electronic Location Identifier: 100556

Affiliations

[a ]Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy

[b ]Department of Radiation Oncology, ‘Maggiore della Carità’ University Hospital, Novara, Italy

[c ]Department of Radiological, Oncological, and Pathological Sciences, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy

[d ]Department of Radiation Oncology, Policlinico “Umberto I”, Rome, Italy

[e ]Department of Radiation Oncology, Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

[f ]Department of Radiation Oncology – Hospital Sírio-Libanês, São Paulo, Brazil

[g ]Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

[h ]Radiotherapy Department, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research and Institute of Oncology, Gliwice, Poland

[i ]Department of Radiation Oncology, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

[j ]Radiation Oncology Department, University of the Witwatersrand and Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa

[k ]Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences “M. Serio”, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

[l ]Radiation Oncology Unit – Oncology Department, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy

[m ]Iridium kankernetwerk and University of Antwerp, Wilrijk Antwerp, Belgium

Author notes

[* ]Corresponding author at: Radiation Oncology. Department of Translational Medicine (DIMET), University of Eastern Piedmont, Via Solaroli 17, 28100 Novara, Italy. pierfrancesco.franco@ 123456uniupo.it

[1]

These authors are to be considered as co-first authors.

Article

Publisher Item ID: S2405-6308(22)00114-8 Publisher ID: 100556

DOI: 10.1016/j.ctro.2022.11.015

PMC ID: 9761378

PubMed ID: 36545362

SO-VID: e8d2a3a2-70f7-406b-bc6f-22a436b948ab

License:

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Breast cancer radiation therapy: A bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature

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Highlights

Abstract

Background and purpose

Material and methods

Results

Conclusion

Related collections

Karger: Oncology

Most cited references 49

Global Cancer Statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries

Cancer statistics, 2020

Twenty-Year Follow-up of a Randomized Trial Comparing Total Mastectomy, Lumpectomy, and Lumpectomy plus Irradiation for the Treatment of Invasive Breast Cancer

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