Abstract
BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) tumors account for a large global cancer burden, partly due to the lack of efficient non-invasive early detection biomarkers. For microRNAs (miRNAs) can stably circulate in body fluids, research on body fluid miRNAs in GIT tumors is significant for non-invasive and precise medicine. This study aims to summarize the previous research and propose the future directions of body fluid miRNAs in the major upper and lower GIT tumors. METHODS: Publications were retrieved and gathered from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Bibliometric analyses including year, area, journals, authors, institutions, keyword and reference analyses were conducted through CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and bibliometrix package. RESULTS: Totally 695 articles and 80 reviews were screened and included. The quantity of publications in this area was increasing, especially in China, Japan and the United States. The most productive journal was PLoS One, and the most prolific author was Ajay Goel from Baylor University Medical Center. The keyword analysis showed that although research on aberrant miRNAs expression status had been continuously published in previous years, the keywords "liquid biopsy", "extracellular vesicles", "machine learning", and "resistance" frequently occurred in recent years. For citation burst references, articles associated with exosomal miRNAs had been highlighted lately. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the prospective topic trends represented further exploration of the body fluid miRNAs encapsulated in extracellular vesicles and liquid biopsy technology, which will likely advance early screening, risk stratification, and personalized treatment.