Cancer patients in the emergency department or intensive care unit: a 20-year bibliometric analysis of research progress and prospects

Abstract

Abstract Background An increasing number of cancer patients may require emergency and intensive care at diagnosis and throughout their disease course. This study aimed to explore the progress, prospects, collaboration and network of research in the field of emergency and intensive care for cancer patients using bibliometric analysis. Methods A search of the Web of Science (WOS) database was conducted to identify relevant articles in English published between 2000 and 2022. Bibliometric analysis platform and R-studio software were used for data analysis, which included cluster analysis, word cloud matrix, trend topics, and thematic maps based on author keywords and keywords plus. Results A total of 630 articles were included, with an average annual growth rate of 17.1%. The most active country in terms of productivity and collaboration was the United States. Trend topics evolved over time, with COVID-19 and epidemiology among the most recent hot topics. General topics such as palliative care, intensive care, emergency department, chemotherapy, management, and outcomes were identified, as well as specialized topics relating to the most common cancer types, and cancer- or treatment-related complications such as brain metastasis, hyperviscosity syndrome, spinal cord compression, pericardial tamponade, hemorrhage, respiratory failure, septic shock, venous thromboembolism, and malnutrition. Conclusion There has been a increasing and evolving interest in emergency and intensive care for cancer patients over time.