Global trends and thematic evolution in breast cancer and frailty research: a multi-database bibliometric analysis, 1973–2025
- 1Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Epigenetics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University
Abstract
Background: Frailty is increasingly recognized as a clinically relevant marker of vulnerability in breast cancer, with implications for treatment tolerance, functional outcomes, and survivorship. This study mapped the global research landscape and thematic evolution of research at the intersection of breast cancer and frailty.
Methods: Publications were retrieved independently from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), Scopus, and PubMed from database inception through December 31, 2025; publications from 2026 were excluded. After eligibility screening and three-stage cross-database deduplication, 1,003 records were included. Citation analyses were restricted to 591 eligible WoSCC records. Bibliometric analyses were performed using R 4.5.2 with bibliometrix 5.4.0, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace.
Results: Publication output increased over time and reached 115 records in 2025. Segmented Poisson regression estimated annual rate ratios of 1.133 (95% CI, 1.119–1.147) before 2018 and 1.151 (95% CI, 1.105–1.200) after 2018, but the change in slope was not statistically significant (P = 0.465). The United States ranked first in publication output, the Journal of Geriatric Oncology was the most productive journal, and the University of Toronto was the most productive institution. A title/abstract audit of the 1,003-record dataset identified 421 records (41.97%) mentioning both breast cancer and frailty, 83 (8.28%) mentioning breast cancer only, 361 (35.99%) mentioning frailty only, and 138 (13.76%) mentioning neither term category. Keyword and network analyses identified frailty, geriatric assessment, quality of life, comorbidity, treatment, and survivorship as major themes.
Conclusion: Breast cancer and frailty research has expanded into an interdisciplinary field spanning oncology, geriatric medicine, supportive care, rehabilitation, and survivorship. The findings should be interpreted in light of the broader indexing contexts represented in the retrieved set.
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BibTeX
@article{xiang2026global,
title = {{Global trends and thematic evolution in breast cancer and frailty research: a multi-database bibliometric analysis, 1973–2025}},
author = {Silu Xiang and Xu Han and Xiaoyi Wang},
journal = {Frontiers in Oncology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fonc.2026.1975523},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1975523/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Global trends and thematic evolution in breast cancer and frailty research: a multi-database bibliometric analysis, 1973–2025
AU - Silu Xiang
AU - Xu Han
AU - Xiaoyi Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Frontiers in Oncology
DO - 10.3389/fonc.2026.1975523
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1975523/full
AB - Background: Frailty is increasingly recognized as a clinically relevant marker of vulnerability in breast cancer, with implications for treatment tolerance, functional outcomes, and survivorship. This study mapped the global research landscape and thematic evolution of research at the intersection of breast cancer and frailty. Methods: Publications were retrieved independently from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), Scopus, and PubMed from database inception through December 31, 2025; publications from 2026 were excluded. After eligibility screening and three-stage cross-database deduplication, 1,003 records were included. Citation analyses were restricted to 591 eligible WoSCC records. Bibliometric analyses were performed using R 4.5.2 with bibliometrix 5.4.0, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace. Results: Publication output increased over time and reached 115 records in 2025. Segmented Poisson regression estimated annual rate ratios of 1.133 (95% CI, 1.119–1.147) before 2018 and 1.151 (95% CI, 1.105–1.200) after 2018, but the change in slope was not statistically significant (P = 0.465). The United States ranked first in publication output, the Journal of Geriatric Oncology was the most productive journal, and the University of Toronto was the most productive institution. A title/abstract audit of the 1,003-record dataset identified 421 records (41.97%) mentioning both breast cancer and frailty, 83 (8.28%) mentioning breast cancer only, 361 (35.99%) mentioning frailty only, and 138 (13.76%) mentioning neither term category. Keyword and network analyses identified frailty, geriatric assessment, quality of life, comorbidity, treatment, and survivorship as major themes. Conclusion: Breast cancer and frailty research has expanded into an interdisciplinary field spanning oncology, geriatric medicine, supportive care, rehabilitation, and survivorship. The findings should be interpreted in light of the broader indexing contexts represented in the retrieved set.
SN - 2234-943X
ER -