Abstract
BACKGROUND: Over the past 2 decades, lidocaine's application in oncologic surgery has received significant attention. It has potential antitumor effects and acts as a chemosensitizer. The aim of this study is to analyze the process and frontiers of lidocaine application in oncologic surgery over the past 20 years. METHODS: A bibliometric analysis was performed and CiteSpace software was used to conduct metrology, co-occurrence, and cluster analysis. Articles retrieved from the Web of Science database from January 1, 2004 to May 27, 2024. Inclusion criteria comprised peer-reviewed original articles or reviews on lidocaine and cancer, excluding conference abstracts, corrigenda, repeated publications, and unrelated articles. RESULTS: A total of 956 articles were included in this study. Two hundred seventeen were selected for detailed analysis. The annual publication count showed an overall increasing trend, peaking in 2022. The United States emerged as the leading country in terms of publication frequency and centrality. Major research themes included lidocaine's antiproliferative effects, enhancement of chemotherapy efficacy, and various administration methods. CONCLUSION: Based on the above results, we draw a conclusion that the relationship between lidocaine and cancer has garnered increasing attention, with research in this area rapidly developing. Lidocaine exhibits significant antitumor effects and potential as a chemosensitizer, enhancing the efficacy of traditional chemotherapy. These findings underscore the importance of further research to fully elucidate lidocaine's mechanisms and its potential clinical applications in oncology.