Table 1_Current research trends and hotspots of boron neutron capture therapy: a bibliometric and visualization analysis.docx

PurposeThis study aimed to describe the trends, current hotspots, and future directions in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) through a bibliometric analysis.
MethodsArticles related to BNCT published before 2023-12-31 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. VOSviewer, R, and CiteSpace were used for bibliometric analysis and visualization.
ResultsA total of 3347 related publications from 1975 to 2023 were retrieved. Since a burst of published documents in 1992, the past three decades have witnessed continuous investigations into BNCT-related studies. Japan was the most productive country (794, 23.72%), followed by the USA (792, 23.66%), while the latter had the most citations. Kyoto University was the most influential institution. Ono K was the most prolific author, and Applied Radiation and Isotopes was the most popular journal. Ono K was the author that had the most total citations, followed by Barth RF. “Carborane”, “boronophenylalanine”, “glioblastoma”, “sodium borocaptate”, “cancer” and “drug delivery” were the most frequent keywords. The article “Dendrimers and dendritic polymers in drug delivery” had the most citations, whereas “Boron delivery agents for neutron capture therapy of cancer” had the highest outbreak value.
ConclusionOver the past three decades, research on BNCT has expanded significantly, with the development of novel boron carriers with improved medicinal characteristics being the most extensively investigated area. Future research will likely focus on the validation and modification of current BNCT treatment modalities using conventional boron agents in brain tumors, accelerator-based neutron sources and the application of BNCT in more clinical scenarios.

研究目的：本研究旨在通过文献计量分析，系统阐述硼中子俘获治疗（Boron Neutron Capture Therapy, BNCT）领域的发展趋势、当前研究热点与未来方向。
研究方法：检索Web of Science核心合集数据库中2023年12月31日前发表的BNCT相关文献，采用VOSviewer、R语言及CiteSpace工具开展文献计量分析与可视化研究。
研究结果：本次研究共检索得到1975年至2023年间的3347篇相关文献。1992年曾出现文献发表热潮，此后近三十年来，BNCT相关研究始终保持持续推进态势。日本是发文量最高的国家（794篇，占比23.72%），紧随其后的是美国（792篇，占比23.66%），且美国的总被引频次最高。京都大学为该领域最具影响力的研究机构，小野耕（Ono K）为最高产作者，《Applied Radiation and Isotopes》是该领域最受关注的期刊。小野耕的总被引频次最高，其次为Barth RF。高频关键词涵盖碳硼烷、硼苯丙氨酸、胶质母细胞瘤、硼捕获酸钠、癌症及药物递送。被引频次最高的文献为《Dendrimers and dendritic polymers in drug delivery》，而突现强度最高的文献为《Boron delivery agents for neutron capture therapy of cancer》。
研究结论：近三十年来，BNCT相关研究实现了显著扩张，其中开发具备更优药用特性的新型硼载体是当前研究的核心热点方向。未来研究或将聚焦三大领域：一是采用传统硼制剂针对脑肿瘤的现有BNCT治疗方案的验证与优化；二是基于加速器的中子源在BNCT中的应用；三是将BNCT拓展至更多临床场景。