Global research trends and hotspots on perioperative care for oesophageal cancer: a bibliometric analysis (1997–2024)

OBJECTIVES: Perioperative care for oesophageal cancer (OC) patients is crucial in optimising surgical outcomes and improving recovery. This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis to explore the frontier trends in perioperative care for OC patients. METHODS: Publications from 1997 to 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. The bibliometric analysis utilised VOSviewer, CiteSpace and the R package 'bibliometrix' to visualise collaborations, keyword co-occurrences and emerging research trends. RESULTS: were the top-ranked journal, with the highest publications (68) and citations (2041). The co-occurrence network revealed four major clusters, including epidemiology, chemoradiation therapy, surgical therapy and complications. Keyword burst analysis emphasised terms such as 'postoperative complications', 'multicenter' and 'open label'. CONCLUSIONS: This bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the research developments in perioperative care for OC patients. It highlighted key trends and emerging research frontiers, including perioperative fluid management in OC patients. Future trends emphasise open-label clinical trials and the development of multimodal treatment strategies to improve survival outcomes. These findings offer valuable insights for advancing clinical and scientific progress in the field.