From past to future: Bibliometric analysis of global research productivity on nomogram (2000–2021)

BACKGROUND: Nomogram, a visual clinical predictive model, provides a scientific basis for clinical decision making. Herein, we investigated 20 years of nomogram research responses, focusing on current and future trends and analytical challenges. METHODS: We mined data of scientific literature from the Core Collection of Web of Science, searching for the original articles with title “Nomogram(*)/Parton Table(*)/Parton Nomogram(*)”, published within January 1st, 2000 to December 30th, 2021. Data records were validated using HistCite Version and analyzed with a transformable statistical method, the Bibliometrix 3.0 package of R Studio. RESULTS: In total, 4,176 original articles written by 19,158 authors were included from 915 sources. Annually, Nomogram publications are continually produced, which have rapidly grown since 2018. China published the most articles; however, its total citations ranked second after the United States. Both total citations and average article citations in the United States rank first globally, and a high degree of cooperation exists between countries. Frontiers in Oncology published the most papers (238); this number has grown rapidly since 2019. Journal of Urology had the highest H-index, with an average increase in publications over the past 20 years. Most research topics were tumor-related, among which tumor risk prediction and prognostic evaluation were the main contents. Research on prognostic assessment is more published and advanced, while risk prediction and diagnosis have good developmental prospects. Furthermore, nomogram of the urinary system has been highly developed. Following advancements in nomogram modeling, it has recently been applied to non-oncological subjects. CONCLUSION: This bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the current nomogram status, which could enable better understanding of its development over the years, and provide global researchers a comprehensive analysis and structured information to help identify hot spots and gaps in future research.