A bibliometric analysis of gastric cancer liver metastases: advances in mechanisms of occurrence and treatment options

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide, and its poor prognosis is predominantly attributed to distant metastasis. The liver is the primary site of GC metastasis. However, there is no universally approved treatment regimen for liver metastasis in GC. The aim of this article is to review the current research status and trends of liver metastasis of GC worldwide. METHODS: The authors utilized the Web of Science Core Collection database to identify articles on liver metastasis from GC published between 2000 and 2022. The authors used bibliometric methods to analyze authors, institutions, countries, journals, and references through CiteSpace and VOSviewer. A total of 1003 articles were included in this study. RESULTS: Japan published the most articles in the field, followed by China. Nagoya University is the leading institution in the field of liver metastases in GC. Yasuhiro Kodera from Japan has made significant achievements in this area. The authors identified GC to be the most influential journal in this field. Using cluster analysis, the keywords were divided into four major clusters:(1) the molecular mechanism of GC liver metastasis, (2) prognosis, (3) liver resection, and (4) chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Our study systematically summarizes the results of GC liver metastasis research from 2000 to 2022 and describes and predicts research hotspots and trends on a global scale. Research on the molecular mechanisms of GC liver metastasis will become a hot topic in the future, and the expansion of the surgical treatment scope and the advancement of translational therapy will benefit more patients.