Yafen Wang

Background: Tumors are a major threat to human life and health. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have become a research focus in this context, especially regarding their role in tumor progression. Since the concept of NETs was introduced in 2004, its implications for tumor research have attracted significant scholarly attention. This study aims to explore research trends and cutting-edge hotspots in NETs and tumors through bibliometric analysis and provide new ideas for clinical applications. Methods: We searched for literature on NETs and tumors published between 2004 and 2023 using the Web of Science database. Microsoft Excel 2019 was used for statistical analysis of influential articles, journals, authors, organizations, countries, and co-cited references. VOSviewer (version 1.6.16) and CiteSpace (V.5.8.R3) were employed for visualizing research data. Results: The analysis covered 790 articles authored by 4768 individuals from 1134 organizations in 56 countries. China and the United States are the leading contributors. The mechanism of NETs in tumor occurrence and development is likely linked to coagulation, inflammation, and infection. Hot topics in research include dendritic cells and thrombosis, with a shift from laboratory studies to clinical applications, suggesting a growing focus on treatment over etiology. Conclusion: This study offers the most comprehensive bibliometric analysis of NETs and tumors to date. Future research may focus on developing targeted therapies that block the interaction between NETs and tumors, offering a new direction for cancer treatment.

This study is the first to employ bibliometric analysis methods to conduct a visual analysis of the literature on the application of radiomics in the field of head and neck cancer from 2014 to mid-2025. Based on 428 documents obtained from the Web of Science database, the distribution of national (regional) collaborative networks, institutions, journals and authors' contributions, as well as the evolution of keywords were visualized and analyzed using VOSviewer and CiteSpace software. 428 documents were included in the study, and the overall trend of the number of publications showed a rapid increase after 2017, and gradually stabilized after 2021. China (118 articles) and the United States (108 articles) were at the core of the field in terms of the number of publications. However, in terms of international cooperation, China lacked compared with Europe and the United States. Maastricht University (Maastricht University, Netherlands) was the institution with the most publications; Cancers (35), Scientific Reports (32) were the journals with high impact in the field; Forghani Reza (12) was the author with the most publications. In the last 10 years, the keywords "radiomics", "head and neck cancer", and "machine learning" have appeared more frequently. The research focus has transitioned from tumor heterogeneity characterization to local tumor control optimization, demonstrating tangible progress toward clinical implementation. To realize the full potential of these advances, two critical requirements must be addressed. First, extensive validation through multicenter prospective trials with large sample sizes is essential. Second, comprehensive standardization of radiomics protocols across all stages including image acquisition, feature extraction, and analytical processing must be established to ensure reproducibility and facilitate clinical adoption.