ReviewDiscover mental health2026
A bibliometric review of depression among cancer patients in low- and middle-income countries.
Review in Discover mental health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
objectiveDepression is an important comorbidity among cancer patients, particularly in resource-limited settings. This bibliometric review aims to map and describe the scientific landscape of approaches to understanding depression among cancer patients in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).
methodsA bibliometric analysis of research on depression among cancer patients was conducted using data from Scopus (extracted 30 April 2025). The quantitative bibliometric analysis was performed using the Bibliometrix R package and the VOSviewer platform (association-strength normalization). The bibliometric analysis analyzed the publication output, keyword co-occurrence to profile publication trends, research hotspots, leading authors, countries, institutions, and collaboration networks.
resultsThe analysis identified 173 eligible publications. The output consistently increased eighfold between 2017 and 2023. Overall, the highest number of publications were produced by India (n = 42), Ethiopia (n = 32), and the United States (n = 26). The dominant research themes included studies of breast cancer (n = 38), depression scale (n = 46), and data (n = 58). The co-authorship analysis identified distinct collaborative clusters while the keyword analysis identified four major thematic clusters: methodological aspects, clinical assessment, cancer type and treatment dimensions, and evidence synthesis & interventions. The temporal analysis revealed an evolution from predominantly basic studies of prevalence, toward increased sophistication in research on predictors and interventions.
conclusionThis review highlights the growing research interest in depression among cancer patients in LMICs, while geographic and thematic gaps remain. While breast cancer dominates literature, other prevalent cancers remain understudied. Future research must focus on developing culturally adapted screening tools, implementing context-specific interventions, and increasing international collaboration to address the psycho-oncological needs of cancer patients in low-resource settings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.