ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Translational Pharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1665174
This article is part of the Research TopicEmerging Targeted and Immunotherapeutic Strategies in Oncology: From Solid Tumors to Hematologic MalignanciesView all 3 articles
Global Research Trends on ALK-TKIs in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Bibliometric Analysis
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
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Background: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related incidence and mortality worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) constitutes the most prevalent histological subtype of lung cancer. A notable proportion of NSCLC patients harbor mutations in the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene, and treatment with ALK-TKIs has demonstrated favorable therapeutic efficacy in ALKpositive patients. This study aimed to systematically analyze the body of literature on ALK-TKIs in NSCLC over the past decade from a bibliometric perspective. Methods: Relevant literature on anaplastic ALK-TKIs for the treatment of NSCLC published between 2015 and 2024 was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Only English-language publications categorized as original researches and reviews were included. Additionally, clinical trial data from the past decade were collected from the ClinicalTrials.gov database. Bibliometric analysis, data processing, and visualization were conducted using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, Excel, and R. Results: Between 2015 and 2024, a total of 2,877 publications on ALK-TKIs for NSCLC were identified, with the annual output remaining consistently high, and 198 clinical trials were registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. China contributed the highest number of publications, while Massachusetts General Hospital emerged as the most prolific institution. The most influential journal in this field was Lung Cancer, and Alice T. Shaw was both the most prolific and one of the most influential authors. Keywords such as 'lorlatinib', 'resistance', 'circulating tumor DNA', and 'immunotherapy', along with keyword clustering, indicate current research hotspots and future directions in this field.This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis and summary of the developmental trajectory, current research landscape, and future trends in ALK-TKI therapy for NSCLC over the past decade, with individualized and precision medicine remaining the primary direction for the development of ALK-TKI therapy in NSCLC.
Keywords: NSCLC, ALK mutation, ALK-TKIs, bibliometric analysis, Citespace, VOSviewer
Received: 13 Jul 2025; Accepted: 04 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Han, Li, Zhang and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Qiushi Wang, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
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