Bibliometric analysis of natural killer cell therapy in anti-cancer research

Natural killer (NK) cells are key immune cells, equivalent to T cells, and act as the immune system’s “first responders.” Under abnormal conditions, NK cells will release cytotoxic particles containing perforin and granzyme to destroy cancer cells before T cells deploy. Especially in tumor patients and post-surgery, the number of NK cells and activity are reduced, impairing their anticancer role. This study aims to explore the research progress and trend of NK cells. This bibliometric analysis describes emerging trends in NK cell therapy and provides insights for future research. Relevant literature from the Web of Science was downloaded and analyzed using VOSviewer, Pajek, Microsoft Excel, and Endnote. The findings demonstrate that the United States is the most productive country in NK cell therapy research, with Harvard Medical School being the leading institution. Frontiers in Immunology is a highly productive journal in this field, and Miller Jeffrey Scott is the most prolific author. Keyword cluster analysis indicates that current research focuses on NK cells and immunotherapy, exploring the mechanisms and modalities of NK cell therapy. In summary, this study provides a comprehensive summary and analysis of global research trends in NK cell therapy. Over the past few decades, the number of high-quality papers in this field has increased significantly, offering new hope for tumor treatment and benefiting tumor patients, those with major diseases, and the sub-healthy population.