Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40591134›Full record

ArticleDiscover oncology2025

Bibliometric analysis of programmed cell death and immunogenic cell death in hepatocellular carcinoma immunotherapy: global trends and future directions.

Shan-Peng Chen, Jie Tian

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Discover oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Shan-Peng ChenDepartment of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic and Spleen Surgery, Baoji Municipal Central Hospital, Baoji, 721008, Shaanxi, China. 351191592@qq.com.
Jie TianDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37, Guoxue Lane, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China. tianjiehxxwk@163.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeImmunotherapy has become a prominent research focus in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment, particularly through immunogenic cell death (ICD), a specialized form of programmed cell death (PCD), to enhance therapeutic efficacy. Although there is a wealth of research in this field, there is a lack of bibliometric analysis to fill the gap in understanding global research trends, key hotspots, and future research directions.

methodsThis study employed bibliometric analysis using data from the Web of Science database, analyzing 958 publications from 2000 to 2024. The inclusion criteria were: (1) articles and review articles published in English, and (2) studies focusing on the role of PCD and ICD in HCC immunotherapy. Publications that were not articles or review articles were excluded. Visualization tools such as VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the bibliometrix R package were used.

resultsThe analysis included 52 countries, 1,176 institutions, and 5,453 authors, with publications spread across 343 journals. Since 2020, research volume has surged, indicating increased academic interest in this area. China led in publication output, with Zhejiang University being the most prolific institution. Frontiers in Immunology published the highest number of articles, while Cancer Research had the highest number of co-citations. Feng Zhang was the most prolific author, while J-M. Llovet had the highest number of co-citations. Key research hotspots include PCD and ICD mechanisms, immune microenvironment, tumor immune evasion, drug resistance, adoptive immunotherapy, and combination therapies. Future studies are expected to focus on immune evasion, tumor microenvironment regulation, novel cell death mechanisms, and personalized immunotherapy.

conclusionThis study analyzes the literature on the role of PCD and ICD in HCC immunotherapy, revealing global research trends and current hotspots, and provides valuable guidance for future research directions.

Indexed as

Future directionsGlobal research trendsHepatocellular carcinomaImmunogenic cell deathProgrammed cell death

Identifiers

PMID40591134
PMCPMC12214167

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.