Insights into the history and tendency of glycosylation and digestive system tumor: A bibliometric-based visual analysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND Glycosylation, a commonly occurring post-translational modification, is highly expressed in several tumors, specifically in those of the digestive system, and plays a role in various cellular pathophysiological mechanisms. Although the importance and detection methods of glycosylation in digestive system tumors have garnered increasing attention in recent years, bibliometric analysis of this field remains scarce. The present study aims to identify the developmental trends and research hotspots of glycosylation in digestive system tumors. AIM To find and identify the developmental trends and research hotspots of glycosylation in digestive system tumors. METHODS We obtained relevant literature from the Web of Science Core Collection and employed VOSviewer 1.6.19 and CiteSpace (version 6.1.R6) to perform bibliometric analysis. RESULTS A total of 2042 documents spanning from 1978 to the present were analyzed, with the research process divided into three phases: the period of obscurity (1978-1990), continuous development period (1991-2006), and the rapid outbreak period (2007-2023). These documents were authored by researchers from 66 countries or regions, with the United States and China leading in terms of publication output. Reis Celso A had the highest number of publications, while Pinho SS was the most cited author. Co-occurrence analysis revealed the most popular keywords in this field are glycosylation, expression, cancer, colorectal cancer, and pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, the Journal of Proteome Research was the most prolific journal in terms of publications, while the Journal of Biological Chemistry had the most citations. CONCLUSION The bibliometric analysis shows current research focus is primarily on basic research in this field. However, future research should aim to utilize glycosylation as a target for treating tumor patients.