Global bibliometric analysis of pleural mesothelioma biomarkers (2002-2024): trends and emerging frontiers

Our plain-English summary of Global bibliometric analysis of pleural mesothelioma biomarkers (2002-2024): trends and emerging frontiers, by S. Huang, Q. Duan, D. Gu, et al (Journal of Thoracic Disease, 2025).

The study

• Authors: S. Huang, Q. Duan, D. Gu, W. Yang, Z. Li, Y. Wang, W. Xiong
• Journal: Journal of Thoracic Disease
• Published: 2025;17(12):10771-10790
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Background: Pleural mesothelioma (PM) is an aggressive malignancy that originates on the mesothelial surface of the pleura, peritoneum, pericardium, and tunica vaginalis. Due to the absence of specific clinical symptoms, early-stage diagnosis occurs in fewer than 5% of cases. Comprehensive assessments of the research landscape on PM biomarkers remain scarce. Therefore, this study employs bibliometric methods to systematically analyze research trends and developments in PM biomarkers, delineate the historical and current research landscape, and identify emerging research frontiers.

Methods: We conducted a literature search for studies on PM biomarkers published between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2024. Bibliometric analysis and data visualization were performed using VOSviewer and CiteSpace based on literature retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC).

Results: A total of 662 publications on PM biomarkers, spanning from 2002 to 2024, were included in this study. Our findings reveal a substantial increase in global research on PM biomarkers over the past two decades, with annual publications peaking in 2021. The United States leads in publication volume, while the University of Western Australia ranks as the most prolific institution in this domain. Jenette Creaney, Glen Reid, and Harvey I. Pass are among the most influential authors in this field, while Journal of Thoracic Oncology, PLoS One, and Lung Cancer are the leading journals publishing research on this topic. Biomarkers associated with the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of PM remain central research foci in the field.

Conclusions: This study represents the first bibliometric visualization of the research landscape on PM biomarkers, delineating key trends and research boundaries while serving as a valuable reference for scholars.

© AME Publishing Company.

In plain English

This was a bibliometric analysis. The authors did not study patients; they counted and mapped published research on biomarkers for pleural mesothelioma. They searched the Web of Science Core Collection for publications from January 1, 2002, to December 31, 2024, and analyzed 662 of them using the mapping software VOSviewer and CiteSpace. Yearly output peaked in 2021, with 70 articles. Of the 56 countries or regions represented, the United States had the most publications (162) and the most citations (6,491). The University of Western Australia had the most citations of any institution (1,329). Jenette Creaney had the most publications (24) and the most citations (888). Asbestos was among the most frequent keywords, appearing 56 times. The authors reported that the field moved from exposure and chemotherapy research toward immunotherapy. They concluded that this was the first bibliometric visualization of this research area. They noted that they used only one database, may have missed non-English work, and did not assess study quality. The article's discussion of individual biomarkers drew on other published studies, not on this analysis.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Bibliometric analysis (counting and mapping of published literature) using VOSviewer and CiteSpace software
• Who was studied: 662 publications on pleural mesothelioma biomarkers indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection, published from January 1, 2002, to December 31, 2024 (search run February 10, 2025)
• Exposure: Not applicable. This was an analysis of publications, not of people exposed to asbestos. Asbestos appeared as one of the most frequent keywords in the literature analyzed (56 occurrences).
• Main results:
  • Annual publication output peaked in 2021, with 70 articles
  • By number of publications, the top five countries were the United States (162), Italy (148), Australia (95), China (78) and the United Kingdom (47), out of 662 publications from 56 countries or regions
  • The United States had 6,491 total citations and an average of 40.07 citations per publication
  • The University of Western Australia had the most total citations of any institution (1,329)
  • The journal Cancers published the most papers (38). Journal of Thoracic Oncology had the most citations (1,819).
  • The authors with the most publications were Jenette Creaney (24), Alessandra Bonotti (16) and Bruce W. Robinson (16)
  • The most cited authors were Jenette Creaney (888 citations), Glen Reid (790) and Harvey I. Pass (784)
  • Apart from the search terms, the most frequent keywords were pleural mesothelioma (86; listed in the table as malignant pleural mesothelioma), malignant mesothelioma (65), asbestos (56), mesothelin (55) and immunotherapy (48)
  • The authors identified epigenetics and immunohistochemistry as the latest research hotspots among the keyword clusters
  • Timeline maps showed the field moving from exposure and chemotherapy research toward immunotherapy
  • The most co-cited publication was the CheckMate 743 phase 3 trial of first-line nivolumab plus ipilimumab, by Baas et al., with 58 co-citations
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that this was the first bibliometric visualization of research on pleural mesothelioma biomarkers, and that it outlines key trends and can serve as a reference for scholars
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The analysis focused on numbers of publications and citations and did not assess the quality of the studies
  • Data came only from the Web of Science Core Collection, so relevant literature in other databases, especially non-English literature, may have been missed

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Pleural Mesothelioma, Biomarker, Pleura, Peritoneum, Pericardium, Tunica Vaginalis, Lung Cancer, Prognosis.

Related studies

• Mesothelioma Due to Workplace Exposure: A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis of Current Situation and Future Trends — H. Lai, C. Hu, et al. (2023)
• Burden, Risk Factors, and Temporal Trends of Ovarian Cancer in Postmenopausal Women Aged 55 Years and Older: A Comparative Analysis in India, China, and the United States Based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 — T. Wei, H. Zheng, et al. (2026)
• Current evidence base of FDG-PET/CT imaging in the clinical management of malignant pleural mesothelioma: emerging significance of image segmentation and global disease assessment — S. Basu, B. Saboury, et al. (2011)
• Global perspectives of emerging occupational and environmental lung diseases — S. Moitra, R. Puri, et al. (2015)
• Challenges in Identifying and Diagnosing Asbestos-Related Diseases in Emerging Economies: A Global Health Perspective — P. Roy, A. Raheja, et al. (2025)
• Global mesothelioma epidemic: Trend and features — C. Bianchi, T. Bianchi (2014)

Browse more research in Journal of Thoracic Disease, or return to medical research.