A bibliometric analysis of global research on microbial immune microenvironment in melanoma from 2012 to 2022

Abstract

Background: Melanoma is an aggressive malignancy primarily impacting the skin, mucous membranes, and pigment epithelium. The tumor microbial microenvironment encompasses both the microorganisms inhabiting the tumor vicinity and the environmental factors influencing their interactions. Emerging evidence highlights the pivotal role of the microbial immune microenvironment in melanoma.

Methods: We conducted an extensive review of scholarly works published from 2012 to 2022, utilizing The Web of Science Core Collection. Subsequently, we employed analytical tools such as VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the R programming language to scrutinize prevailing research patterns within this domain.

Results: A sum of 513 articles were pinpointed, with notable input coming from the United States and China. Harvard University stood out as the top-contributing institution, while the journal Science received the most citations. Current research within this sphere chiefly focuses on two principal domains: the gut microbiota and the PD-L1 pathway concerning melanoma treatment.

Conclusion: The study offers an extensive analysis and overview of the worldwide research landscape concerning the immune microenvironment with a focus on microbes in melanoma. It underscores the promising prospects for harnessing the microbial immune microenvironment's potential in melanoma. These findings furnish valuable insights and guidance for advancing scientific inquiry and refining clinical approaches within this dynamic field.

Keywords: immune microenvironment; melanoma; microbes; microbial microenvironment; tumor immunotherapy.

FIGURE 1

The screening process of the literature.

FIGURE 2

(A) The number of publications and citations over the past decade; (B) A global map illustrating publication quantities by country; (C) The citation count in the top five countries each year; (D) The publication count in the top five countries annually.

FIGURE 3

(A) The collaboration network among countries; (B) A radar chart showcasing the publication and citation counts per institution; (C) The collaboration network among institutions; (D) The collaboration heatmap among institutions.

FIGURE 4

(A) Extensive collaboration network among authors. (B) Radar graph of publications and citations by journal.(C)The collaboration network graph of various journals.(D)The collaboration network heat map of various journals.

FIGURE 5

(A) A network diagram displaying highly cited and co‐cited articles; (B) The top nine references with the most prominent citation bursts; (C) Cluster analysis of keyword co‐citations; (D) Timeline clustering of keywords.

FIGURE 6

(A) An extensive network reflecting co‐occurrence of keywords; (B) The author's keywords demonstrating the strongest correlation; (C) The keyword clustering network analysis; (D) Timeline clustering of reference keywords.