Cisplatin for small cell lung cancer: Associated publications in Science Citation Index Expanded

This study was conducted to explore a bibliometric approach to quantitatively assess current research trends in cisplatin-containing chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer (SCLC), using related literature in the Science Citation Index Expanded database from 1992 to 2011. Articles were analyzed by the scientific output and research performances of countries and institutions. The distribution of key words in the article title and author-selected keywords were used to evaluate research trends. It was observed that the number of articles devoted to cisplatin-containing chemotherapy for SCLC did not increase with time. The USA and Japan were the top two countries with the highest number of articles devoted to cisplatin-containing chemotherapy for SCLC. In both countries, the number of articles did not increase with time, and a decreasing trend was identified in the USA over the last 10 years. This study demonstrates trends in cisplatin-containing chemotherapy for SCLC. The clinical application of novel drugs is required for successful SCLC treatment.