Visualized Bibliometric Analysis of Research Progress on Neutrophils in Colorectal Cancer Based on CiteSpace and VOSviewer

Objective Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that neutrophils (NEs) play a pivotal role in the progression and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, a comprehensive bibliometric and visualized analysis of the related publications is still lacking. This study aims to systematically analyze the literature on neutrophils in colorectal cancer over the past two decades, and to identify research trends and emerging hotspots in this field.Methods Relevant publications from 2004 to 2023 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and R software were applied to perform bibliometric analyses of countries, institutions, authors, journals, citations, and keyword trends.Results A total of 2,876 records were initially identified, and 1,643 publications were finally included based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The annual number of publications showed a continuous upward trend. China, the United States, and Japan were the major contributing countries. Sun Yat-sen University and the University of Glasgow demonstrated the most prominent performance in terms of publication output and citation impact. Donald C. McMillan was the most prolific author, while Kiyoshi Maeda had the highest citation frequency. Cancer Research, British Journal of Cancer, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Nature were identified as the core journals with high co-citation frequencies. Citation and keyword analyses revealed current research hotspots, including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, tumor microenvironment, and immune infiltration.Conclusion This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric and visualized analysis of research on neutrophils in colorectal cancer, indicating that this field is undergoing rapid development. Future studies are likely to focus on elucidating the precise mechanisms by which neutrophils regulate immune responses in colorectal cancer, as well as exploring the therapeutic potential of targeting neutrophil-mediated mechanisms within the tumor microenvironment.