Research trends and hotspots of radioiodine-refractory thyroid cancer treatment in the twenty-first century: a bibliometric analysis

The treatment of radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RAIR-DTC) has made significant advancements in the twenty-first century. This study aimed to assess the current state of research and identify potential new directions by conducting a bibliometric analysis of scientific publications on RAIR-DTC treatment. Publications relevant to RAIR-DTC, published from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2023, were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Bibliometric analyses of major keywords, authors, countries, institutions, publications, and journals were conducted using CiteSpace and VOSviewer. A total of 859 papers were included in the analysis. The results demonstrated a rising trend in the number of publications over time. The United States was identified as the leading contributor in terms of publication output, citations, and international collaborations. Gustave Roussy emerged as the top organization in publication productivity, while the journal Thyroid had the highest number of related publications. The research on RAIR treatment was categorized into three key hotspots: clinical trials of targeted therapies, novel therapeutic strategies, and debates surrounding the RAIR-DTC management. RAIR-DTC research is expanding from the clinical trial phase of tyrosine kinase inhibitor monotherapy to a more complex combination therapy strategy, in particular, the synergistic effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors and other therapeutic agents, requiring more high-quality prospective studies to validate the clinical benefits. Moreover, the timely identification of RAIR-DTC patients holds the potential to enable early disease intervention, constituting a pivotal novel research direction in the future.