| Background and purpose: As the most important public health event in the world,cancer has caused a huge burden on the global economy and has attracted widespread attention of scientific researchers.Colorectal cancer(CRC)is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world,with an advanced 5-year survival rate of only 10%.With the advent of single-cell RNA sequencing(sc RNA-seq),we can accurately analyze the composition of the tumor microenvironment(TME)of different individuals,and realize individualized precision treatment.In recent years,the number of publications of sc RNA-seq in the field of cancer has increased rapidly,most of which are based on experimental research,and there is a lack of bibliometric research on the overall evaluation of this field.Therefore,the first part of this study aims to use the method of bibliometrics to analyze the research trend of sc RNA-seq in the field of cancer and predict the future development direction and research hotspots.Based on the results of the first part,this study found that cancer immunotherapy is one of the hottest research directions.Therefore,in the second part of this study,the current situation and development trend of CRC immunotherapy are summarized,and the prospect of CRC immunotherapy is discussed in order to provide reference for further research.Materials and methods: Articles were searched in the Web of Science database using the constructed search formula,limiting the language type to English,and retaining only articles and reviews.Data were managed using Microsoft Office.Use of Cite Space and VOSviewer software to analyze collaboration by country,institution,and author to which the publication belongs and to map collaboration networks.By extracting keywords and citations from the literature and drawing clustering maps,timeline maps,and emergent maps,we explored changes in hotspots during the development of the field and predicted potential hotspots and research trends.Results: Bibliometric and visual analysis of the application of sc RNA-seq in cancer over the past decade(Part I): 1.A total of 4094 papers were included,covering70 countries,3934 institutions,and 26995 authors,and the annual number of publications in this field has been increasing over the last decade.2.Research in this field over the past decade has included six main categories: the first is related to TME and immunotherapy;the second is related to tumorigenesis;the third is related to single-cell multi-omics and tumor heterogeneity;the fourth is related to the diagnosis of tumors and the development of single-cell technology;the fifth is related to tumor survival and prognosis;and the sixth is related to tumor treatment and drug resistance.3.The early research hotspots in this field focused on improving the throughput of single-cell sequencing,reducing the cost of sequencing,studying circulating tumor cells,and improving early diagnosis.With the development of sequencing,some tumor mapping has gradually started to investigate the evolution of tumors and the mechanism of tumorigenesis.In recent years,the focus has shifted to exploring tumor drug resistance,TME,immunotherapy,and multi-omics research.4.Future research in this area will focus on four main aspects: a.Exploration of the role of tumor microenvironment components such as tumor-associated macrophages in cancer development and treatment;b.Study of immunotherapy such as immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs);c.Study of inter-and intracellular communication in combination with spatial transcriptomic technologies;d.Study of cancer in combination with proteomics and chromatin accessibility,etc.Multi-omics cancer research.Bibliometric and visual analysis of the application of sc RNA-seq in cancer over the past decade(part II): 1.this study collected 1899 publications on immunotherapy for CRC,including 1454(76.57%)articles and 445 reviews(23.43%),covering 66 countries and regions and 367 institutions.The literature in the field of CRC immunotherapy has shown a growing trend over the past 10 years.Analysis of the high-frequency cited keywords and clustering network graphs showed that most of the keywords were related to the mechanisms of CRC immunotherapy.3.Analysis of the keyword time zone map showed that most of the rising terms in the slow growth period(2012-2014)were related to treatments and mechanisms.Whereas in the accelerating phase(2015-2017)the emerging terms focused mostly on ICIs,microsatellite instability,and the clinical and mechanistic study of drug resistance.In the rapid development phase(2018-2021),emerging themes not only continue the characteristics of the previous phase but also introduce new technologies such as nanomaterials,and generate a variety of new directions such as gut microbes,TAMs,stem cells,and immune escape.6.The comprehensive analysis of mutagenic keywords and keyword time zone maps revealed that the future hotspots in the field of CRC immunotherapy include the following six aspects: a.ICIs-centered pharmacotherapy and integrated treatment;b.Exploring the mechanisms of drug resistance development in a model of liver metastasis from CRC;c.Exploring the role of the TME,particularly TAMs,neutrophils,and suppressor cells,in immunotherapy and immune escape in CRC;d.Development of a new generation of immunotherapeutic agents for CRC incorporating nanomaterials;e.Efficacy prediction of ICIs based on tumor mutational load;f.Studies on the role of gut microbiota in the treatment of CRC by ICIs.Conclusion: 1.The research of sc RNA-seq in the field of cancer has gradually shifted from the early focus on improving throughput and reducing costs,and some map-based research to the immune microenvironment and immunotherapy.2.Future sc RNA-seq research trends in the field of cancer may focus on four aspects: immune microenvironment,immunotherapy,spatial transcriptome,and multi-omics.3.The research on CRC immunotherapy revolves around CRC with different microsatellite statuses.In the early stage,it mainly focused on the research on the mechanism of immunotherapy,and in recent years,it has turned to ICIs and their drug resistance.4.The hotspots in the field of colorectal immunotherapy in the future may focus on six aspects,including ICIs,drug resistance in CRC liver metastasis models,TME,nanomaterials,tumor mutational burden,and intestinal microorganisms. |
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