Gastric Cancer: Bibliometric Analysis of Epidemiological, Geographical and Socio-Economic Parameters of the Global Research Landscape

Background: Although the incidence and mortality of gastric cancer (GC) decreased in the last years, some countries remain highly affected. Especially in high-income economies the cases of cardia types are steadily increasing. Currently, GC is ranked third as cause for cancer death worldwide, whereby two-thirds of deaths still occur in low-income countries. But the global numbers are changing, and new regional challenges must be addressed. Methods: Therefore, this disease has been chosen for in-depth bibliometric analyses that combines the evaluation of publication meta-data with density equalizing visualization techniques. This study focuses on the chronological and geographical characteristics of GC research worldwide. Epidemiological and socio-economic parameters were analyzed and the influence of political framework conditions was examined. In addition, international collaborations and research priorities were evaluated. Results: In the last years, the publication numbers are rising more extensively in comparison to other cancer types. Albeit the usual leading positions, the United States is not the most publishing country on GC. It occupies the third position. Instead, China and Japan are the most publishing countries and together with South Korea also the key players as well as the most affected countries. These countries’ governments are also the main donors for GC-research. The number of articles and the expenditures for research and development (R&D) as well as the incidence rate are correlated. Despite the scarce contribution of low-economic countries to the publication output, international collaborations lead to a modest output in those regions. Conclusion: This study pools background information for scientists, practitioners, funders and decision-makers by providing information on the development and priorities of GC research. Adaptive international approaches and partnerships are crucial to meet future changing epidemiological features worldwide.