Surgical management of chondrosarcoma: Insights from a bibliometric analysis of the top 50 most cited articles

Chondrosarcoma is a malignant bone tumour in which surgical resection remains the primary treatment due to resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Despite its clinical importance, the global research landscape on surgical management has not been systematically evaluated. To identify and analyse the most influential publications, collaboration patterns, and evolving research themes in the surgical treatment of chondrosarcoma using bibliometric methods. A bibliometric analysis was performed using data from the Web of Science Core Collection with the search query: ((TS=(chondrosarcoma)) AND ((TS=(treatment) OR TS=(therapy) OR TS=(therapeutic) OR TS=(surgery)))) AND WC=(Orthopaedics) OR WC = (Surgery). A total of 1307 records were retrieved, from which the 50 most cited articles were analysed using the Bibliometrix R package and Biblioshiny. The top 50 papers accumulated 4523 citations (mean 90.46 per article), published between 1964 and 2021, with 2007 being the most productive year. The most cited study was Lee et al., “Chondrosarcoma of bone: an assessment of outcome” (320 citations). Leading journals were the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. The United States, particularly the Mayo Clinic Rochester, was the most prolific contributor. Keywords such as “bone,” “surgery,” and “survival” highlighted a shift toward outcome-based and reconstructive research. This bibliometric analysis maps key contributors and research trends in chondrosarcoma surgery, revealing a progression from descriptive reports to technologically advanced, outcome-oriented studies that continue to shape orthopaedic oncology.