Integrative multi-omics and big data analysis of global nutrition and radiotherapy trends

Background: Radiotherapy serves as a crucial modality in cancer treatment, frequently synergizing with other therapies to enhance patient outcomes. Unfortunately, radiotherapy is often accompanied by nutritional impairments, including dysphagia and malnutrition, which hinder patient recovery and treatment efficacy. Moreover, nutritional abnormalities accompanied by metabolic reprogramming may lead to alterations across multiple omics domains. Consequently, big data analysis on radiotherapy and nutrition is imperative.

Objective: This study employs bibliometric analysis to visually showcase the current research landscape and trending hotspots in the intersection of nutrition and radiotherapy.

Methods: Leveraging the Web of Science Core Collection, we screened and analyzed 4379 publications related to nutrition and radiotherapy published between 2004 and 2023. Utilizing VOSviewer, Bibliometrix, and Citespace software, we conducted bibliometric analysis and visualization of countries, institutions, authors, and keywords.

Results: Our analysis reveals a substantial increase in publications concerning nutrition and radiotherapy, with the United States and China leading in both publication volume and citation impact. The research focus has gradually shifted from phenomenological studies to mechanistic investigations, as evidenced by changes in keyword usage. While confirming the influence of nutritional status on radiotherapy outcomes, we also identified potential links to genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and other omics disciplines.

Conclusion: This study emphasizes the growing attention to the interplay between nutrition and radiotherapy in cancer treatment. Our findings suggest that further integration of multi-omics analysis can enhance understanding of the mechanisms underlying these interactions, providing a foundation for advancing cancer diagnosis and treatment strategies in the future.