Preoperative radiotherapy for rectal cancer: A bibliometric analysis of the 100 most-cited research articles

Abstract

Background and Aims: Preoperative long-course radio-chemotherapy (LC-RCHT) or preoperative short-course radiotherapy (SC-RT) are widely used in the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). This study aimed to evaluate the 100 most-cited research articles focused on preoperative radiotherapy for rectal cancer to reveal existing academic trends and the direction of therapeutic research. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study based on publicly accessible data. The Web of Science database was used to identify the 100 most-cited articles. Results: The median values for total citation and average citation per year (CPY) were 240.50 (range, 150-3787) and 17.32 (5.03-222.76), respectively. Randomized (median: 24.88 vs 13.32, P = 0.001) and funded (median: 27.33 vs 14.73, P = 0.002) studies had more CPY than those with opposite characteristics. No significant difference was found between studies using SC-RT and LC-RCHT, in terms of average CPY (median: 15.27 for SC-RT vs 18.36 for LC-RCHT, P = 0.303). In terms of the primary aim of the investigation, studies investigating non-operative treatment strategies had higher CPY than those investigating other subcategories (p = 0.029). Conclusion: Randomized studies, funded studies, and studies investigating non-operative treatment were associated with more CPY. There remains equal interest in preoperative SC-RT and LC-RCHT for rectal cancer.