Abstract
BACKGROUND: Gastric cancers (GC) place a heavy burden on patients, families, and society. Photodynamic therapy (PDT)/photothermal therapy (PTT) for GC has emerged as an important area of research. This study aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis to examine the development trends, research hotspots, and future directions in this field. METHODS: Publications from 1987 to 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Bibliometric data were analyzed using the R package "Bibliometrix", VOSviewer, and CiteSpace. RESULTS: A total of 381 articles related to PDT/PTT for GC were covered in this study. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy was the most influential journal in its field with h-index of 11. China had the highest publication volume (138). Cui Daxiang was the key author with the most publications (12) and an h-index of 10. The Southern Medical University was the institution with the most publications (29). Keyword co-occurrence analysis showed five categories, including nanomaterials, mechanisms, combined therapy, technology, and photosensitizers. Keywords burst analysis showed emerging interests in "nanoparticles" and "release". CONCLUSIONS: This bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive overview of research on PDT/PTT for GC from 1987 to 2024, identifying key contributors, research hotspots, and emerging trends. Research hotspots reflected efforts to optimize diagnosis and therapies via photosensitizers for GC and to combine PDT/PTT with other therapies for GC. Future research should focus on the deep integration of nanomaterials as delivery system with PDT/PTT for GC and more sensitive PDT/PTT techniques for guiding surgery.