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. 2024 Mar 14;409(1):95.
doi: 10.1007/s00423-024-03271-6.

The GIST of it all: management of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) from the first steps to tailored therapy. A bibliometric analysis

Julian Musa  1   2   3   4 , Sarah M Kochendoerfer  1 , Franziska Willis  1   2 , Christine Sauerteig  1 , Jonathan M Harnoss  1   2 , Ingmar F Rompen  1 , Thomas G P Grünewald  3   4   5 , Mohammed Al-Saeedi  1 , Martin Schneider  1   2 , Julian-C Harnoss  6
Affiliations

The GIST of it all: management of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) from the first steps to tailored therapy. A bibliometric analysis

Julian Musa et al. Langenbecks Arch Surg. .

Abstract

Purpose: Improvement of patient care is associated with increasing publication numbers in biomedical research. However, such increasing numbers of publications make it challenging for physicians and scientists to screen and process the literature of their respective fields. In this study, we present a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the evolution of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) research, analyzing the current state of the field and identifying key open questions going beyond the recent advantages for future studies to assess.

Methods: Using the Web of Science Core Collection, 5040 GIST-associated publications in the years 1984-2022 were identified and analyzed regarding key bibliometric variables using the Bibliometrix R package and VOSviewer software.

Results: GIST-associated publication numbers substantially increased over time, accentuated from year 2000 onwards, and being characterized by multinational collaborations. The main topic clusters comprise surgical management, tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) development/treatment, diagnostic workup, and molecular pathophysiology. Within all main topic clusters, a significant progress is reflected by the literature over the years. This progress ranges from conventional open surgical techniques over minimally invasive, including robotic and endoscopic, resection techniques to increasing identification of specific functional genetic aberrations sensitizing for newly developed TKIs being extensively investigated in clinical studies and implemented in GIST treatment guidelines. However, especially in locally advanced, recurrent, and metastatic disease stages, surgery-related questions and certain specific questions concerning (further-line) TKI treatment resistance were infrequently addressed.

Conclusion: Increasing GIST-related publication numbers reflect a continuous progress in the major topic clusters of the GIST research field. Especially in advanced disease stages, questions related to the interplay between surgical approaches and TKI treatment sensitivity should be addressed in future studies.

Keywords: Bibliometry; GIST; Gastrointestinal stromal tumor; Imatinib; TKI; Tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Annual scientific productivity regarding GIST-related studies as indicated by number of published articles (years 1984–2022)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Scientific productivity regarding studies related to GIST per country. a Country scientific production as determined by number of author appearances by country affiliation. Red lines indicate collaboration frequencies between countries. b Total number of articles published per country. Country assignment was performed according to the affiliation of the corresponding author. SCP, single country publications; MCP, multiple country publications. c Total and average citation rates of articles per country. Country assignment was performed according to the affiliation of the corresponding author
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Most prominent keywords (including author keywords and keywords-plus) (a) and most prominent co-occurring terms in titles and abstracts (b) as illustrated by co-occurrence network analysis. TKI = Tyrosine kinase inhibitor
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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