Bibliometric Analysis Reveals the Progress of PM(2.5) in Health Research, Especially in Cancer Research

PM(2.5) has an aerodynamic diameter of less than or equal to 2.5 microns due to its inherent physical and chemical properties so that it can enter the alveoli through the respiratory tract for blood gas exchange. Numerous studies have shown that PM(2.5) is a serious air pollutant that poses a wide range of health risks, especially for cancer. Bibliometric methods were employed to have comprehensively analyzed the research of PM(2.5) in cancer for about a decade in Web of Science to identify hotspots and trends using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and R. The field has undergone overall growth in the past decade. As research on PM(2.5) in health deepens, cancer related to it expanded beyond the respiratory system to the digestive system, urinary system, female gonadal axis, breast cancer and other cancers. Another observation is that research on PM(2.5) in cancer has progressed in the mechanisms of deterioration, such as the role of matrix metalloproteinases in cancer. In addition, research on the risks of PM(2.5) in combination with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals has also emerged. Results showed that there are relatively more studies on PM(2.5) in high-latitude countries, which may be due to different national conditions, such as climate and coal combustion. Our research has combed through the progress of PM(2.5) in cancer research and provided a supplement for developing pollution prevention ideas with different national conditions in this field.