CHINESE JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL GUIDE >

2026 , Vol. 28 >Issue 4: 422 - 422-430

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1009-0959.2026.050006

Analysis and Enlightenment of Global Colorectal Cancer Research Papers in the Past 20 Years

  • Qingrong Sun ,
  • Jiashu Xiao ,
  • Maode Lai
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  • 1.School of Information Science and Technology， Zhejiang Shuren University， Provincial Key Laboratory of
    Artificial Organs and Computational Medicine， Zhejiang Hangzhou 310015， China；
    2.School of Medicine， Zhejiang University， Zhejiang Hangzhou 310058， China

Received date: 2025-10-23

  Revised date: 2025-12-07

  Accepted date: 2026-02-06

  Online published: 2026-05-26

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Abstract

Objective： To analyze the research status， emerging trends， and international differences in colorectal cancer （CRC） studies using bibliometric methods.Methods： Publications related to CRC from January 2004 to December 2024 were retrieved from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， Web of Science， and PubMed databases. CiteSpace software was employed to conduct bibliometric analyses of authors， institutions， and keywords， and corresponding visual maps were generated.Results： Over the past two decades， the global number of CRC-related papers indexed in SCI has shown a continuous upward trend， peaking in 2021. During the same period， the proportion of publications by Chinese scholars increased from approximately 2% to over 25% of the global total. Keyword analysis revealed that recent hotspots centering on the gut microbiota， immunotherapy， tumor microenvironment， and applications of artificial intelligence （AI）. Notably， Chinese researchers have made significant advances in tumor microenvironment studies， and research on AI applications show a rapid development trend. Collaboration analysis among prolific universities and research institutions indicates limited cooperation among Chinese scholars， while organizations such as the German Cancer Research Center and the University of Melbourne demonstrate extensive international collaboration. The number of CRC research papers published in Chinese has declined steadily， contrasting sharply with the rise in English-language CRC research publications. Notably， most Chinese-language CRC research papers focus on traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） treatments for CRC.Conclusion： Global research on CRC has grown rapidly over the past two decades. China has emerged as a major contributor in CRC research. However， challenges remain in enhancing international collaboration and advancing cutting-edge areas such as AI applications. Chinese-language CRC research publications are declining and remain focused mainly on TCM treatments therapies.


Key words： CiteSpace； ; Colorectal cancer； ; Network analysis； ; Bibliometrics

Cite this article

Qingrong Sun , Jiashu Xiao , Maode Lai .

Analysis and Enlightenment of Global Colorectal Cancer Research Papers in the Past 20 Years

[J]. CHINESE JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL GUIDE, 2026 , 28(4) : 422 -422-430 . DOI: 10.1009-0959.2026.050006

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