Worldwide research trends on the tumor immunometabolism–cancer immunotherapy nexus: a systematic bibliometric review
- 1Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University
- 2Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University
Abstract
Background: Metabolic competition, nutrient restriction and metabolite accumulation in the tumor microenvironment reshape immune-cell fate and can constrain immune checkpoint blockade and adoptive cell therapies. We systematically mapped whether the tumor immunometabolism literature has shifted toward immunotherapy-oriented translation.
Methods: We conducted a systematic bibliometric mapping review reported with reference to PRI SMA 2020. Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus were searched on 26 July 2026 for English-language journal articles and reviews published from 2001 to 2025 that linked cancer, immune-cell metabolism and immunotherapy. Prespecified metadata eligibility criteria were applied independently to each database. Web of Science was the primary dataset and Scopus provided parallel validation. Bibliometrix, VO Sviewer and Cite Space characterized publication growth, contributors, citation structure and keyword evolution. Between-group and stratum comparisons used non-parametric tests, with test statistics, effect sizes and Benjamini–Hochberg-adjusted P values reported for every comparison.
Results: We retained 3,214 Web of Science and 3,513 Scopus records. Publications from 2020–2025 represented 83.7% and 83.0% of the respective datasets, reproducing the recent expansion across databases. China contributed the most Web of Science publications (n=1,470), whereas the United States had more total citations (70,049 vs 55,911) and a higher mean citation rate (96.4 vs 38.0 citations per article). Articles involved larger teams than reviews (median 10 vs 4 authors), whereas reviews cited more references (median 136 vs 50; both adjusted p<0.001). Leading keywords included immunotherapy (n=768), tumor microenvironment (n=469), metabolism (n=198), T cells (n=187), immunometabolism (n=155), hypoxia (n=149), metabolic reprogramming (n=133), immune checkpoint inhibitors (n=121) and CAR-T cells (n=101). Highly cited and citation-burst literature progressed from hypoxia, adenosine and metabolic competition toward T-cell exhaustion, mitochondrial fitness, regulatory T-cell adaptation and metabolically engineered cellular therapy.
Conclusion: This systematic bibliometric review identifies a reproducible shift toward metabolism-informed checkpoint and cellular-therapy strategies, but bibliometric proximity to clinical terminology should not be interpreted as evidence of clinical efficacy or readiness.
Related
- Artificial intelligence in breast cancer research: a systematic review and bibliometric analysis of emerging trends and future directions
- Global trends and knowledge evolution of tertiary lymphoid structures in cancer immunotherapy: a bibliometric and visualization analysis
- Advancing equitable pain care worldwide requires progress in low- and middle-income settings: priorities for practice, research, and policy
- Single-cell and spatial omics in urologic cancer immunotherapy: bibliometric and registry mapping with an exploratory full-text assessment
- From medical to pedagogical care : A bibliometric review of AI agent research in education
BibTeX
@article{huang2026worldwide,
title = {{Worldwide research trends on the tumor immunometabolism–cancer immunotherapy nexus: a systematic bibliometric review}},
author = {Jingshuai Huang and Haiyuan Zhong and Liwei Li and Xiaoping Wang and Yuling Lai and Jincheng Li and Dan Jiang and Mingyu Lai},
journal = {Frontiers in Oncology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fonc.2026.1962391},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1962391/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Worldwide research trends on the tumor immunometabolism–cancer immunotherapy nexus: a systematic bibliometric review
AU - Jingshuai Huang
AU - Haiyuan Zhong
AU - Liwei Li
AU - Xiaoping Wang
AU - Yuling Lai
AU - Jincheng Li
AU - Dan Jiang
AU - Mingyu Lai
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - Frontiers in Oncology
DO - 10.3389/fonc.2026.1962391
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2026.1962391/full
AB - Background: Metabolic competition, nutrient restriction and metabolite accumulation in the tumor microenvironment reshape immune-cell fate and can constrain immune checkpoint blockade and adoptive cell therapies. We systematically mapped whether the tumor immunometabolism literature has shifted toward immunotherapy-oriented translation. Methods: We conducted a systematic bibliometric mapping review reported with reference to PRI SMA 2020. Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus were searched on 26 July 2026 for English-language journal articles and reviews published from 2001 to 2025 that linked cancer, immune-cell metabolism and immunotherapy. Prespecified metadata eligibility criteria were applied independently to each database. Web of Science was the primary dataset and Scopus provided parallel validation. Bibliometrix, VO Sviewer and Cite Space characterized publication growth, contributors, citation structure and keyword evolution. Between-group and stratum comparisons used non-parametric tests, with test statistics, effect sizes and Benjamini–Hochberg-adjusted P values reported for every comparison. Results: We retained 3,214 Web of Science and 3,513 Scopus records. Publications from 2020–2025 represented 83.7% and 83.0% of the respective datasets, reproducing the recent expansion across databases. China contributed the most Web of Science publications (n=1,470), whereas the United States had more total citations (70,049 vs 55,911) and a higher mean citation rate (96.4 vs 38.0 citations per article). Articles involved larger teams than reviews (median 10 vs 4 authors), whereas reviews cited more references (median 136 vs 50; both adjusted p<0.001). Leading keywords included immunotherapy (n=768), tumor microenvironment (n=469), metabolism (n=198), T cells (n=187), immunometabolism (n=155), hypoxia (n=149), metabolic reprogramming (n=133), immune checkpoint inhibitors (n=121) and CAR-T cells (n=101). Highly cited and citation-burst literature progressed from hypoxia, adenosine and metabolic competition toward T-cell exhaustion, mitochondrial fitness, regulatory T-cell adaptation and metabolically engineered cellular therapy. Conclusion: This systematic bibliometric review identifies a reproducible shift toward metabolism-informed checkpoint and cellular-therapy strategies, but bibliometric proximity to clinical terminology should not be interpreted as evidence of clinical efficacy or readiness.
SN - 2234-943X
ER -