Global Bibliometric Analysis of Post-Translational Modifications in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Introduction Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a malignant tumor with high incidence and mortality worldwide. Protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) are central mechanisms regulating eukaryotic protein function and key biological processes involved in malignant OSCC phenotypes, including cell proliferation, invasion, and drug resistance. Research on PTMs in OSCC remains to be further explored. Methods A comprehensive search of the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) was completed on January 14, 2026, and all relevant publications indexed before this date were screened. Results A total of 647 publications were included in the bibliometric analysis. Annual publication output showed a sustained overall upward trend. China ranked first with 355 publications (46.16%), followed by Japan with 129 publications (16.78%) and the United States with 98 publications (12.74%). Oral Oncology (25 publications) and Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine (24 publications) were the journals publishing largest number of relevant publications. Keyword co-occurrence analysis showed that the included literature covered multi-layered molecular regulatory networks, with PTM-related mechanisms and tumor microenvironmental regulation forming major research themes. Translational topics, including targeted inhibition strategies and prognostic model construction, were also represented. The keyword timeline map showed the rapid emergence of recent hotspots, including epigenetic regulation, clinical prognosis, and targeted therapy. Research in this field has expanded from intracellular molecular mechanisms to global regulation of the tumor microenvironment, with an increasing orientation toward clinical translation. Recently emerging high-frequency keywords indicate that current research hotspots focus on OSCC, therapeutic resistance, malignant progression, and patient survival. Over the past decade, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), targeted inhibition, and oncogenic molecular regulatory mechanisms have been extensively investigated. Cancer-related molecular mechanisms have remained central to this field and have become the most prominent research frontier. Conclusions Using bibliometric methods, this study systematically summarizes publication characteristics, major research teams, and research hotspots in PTM-related studies of OSCC. It outlines the overall progress, remaining gaps, and frontier directions in this field, providing a reference for subsequent basic experiments and clinical translational research.