Head and neck cancer research collaborations between the United States and low- and middle-income countries: 10-year publication analysis

Background: Disparities exist for head and neck cancer (HNC) patients between those in developed countries and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To improve HNC care globally, collaborations between the United States and LMICs have been established. Our objectives are: (1) define trends of collaborative HNC publications among LMICs and the United States and (2) assess the global distribution of these publications by region.

Methods: A Scopus search identified all HNC research publications during 2009 to 2018. These were then categorized by type (basic vs. clinical) and by global regions.

Results: Five thousand one hundred and seventy collaborative publications were identified, of which 41% were basic science and 59% clinical. The highest rate of collaborative publications for both basic science and clinical papers was seen in the East Asia/Pacific region.

Conclusions: The number of collaborative research publications per year in HNC is increasing across the globe, at varying rates in different global regions.