The 100 most cited articles in prostate cancer brachytherapy: systematic review and bibliometric analysis

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify the 100 most cited research articles in prostate cancer brachytherapy (PCB) and to review the characteristics of these citation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The Web of Science Core Collection was used to identify the 100 most cited articles in PCB as of December 31(st), 2019. The following important information was extracted: year and month of publication, title, journal, country of origin, authors, type of article, treatment modality, and topics. RESULTS: The 100 most cited articles in PCB were published between 1999 and 2018, and the number of citations ranged from 455 to 54; these articles had collectively been cited 10,331 times at the time of search. These articles were from 11 countries, with most publications being from the United States (n = 61), followed by Canada (n = 10), the United Kingdom (n = 8), and Germany (n = 5). The “International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics” published the most articles (n = 47), followed by the “Journal of Urology” (n = 11), “Radiotherapy and Oncology” (n = 10), “Cancer” (n = 7), and “Urology” (n = 6). Permanent interstitial brachytherapy (n = 52) was the most widely used treatment modality, followed by temporary brachytherapy (n = 45). Disease control (n = 51) was the most common topic, followed by side effects (n = 44) and quality of life (n = 27). CONCLUSIONS: The bibliometric analysis presents a detailed list of the 100 most cited articles in prostate cancer brachytherapy. There are clear recommendations for treatment with prostate cancer brachytherapy. The goal of prostate cancer brachytherapy is to improve long-term outcomes and quality of life.