Abstract
Radioresistance, whether innate or acquired during treatment, is one of the major problems in modern oncology. Despite advances in research in this area, particularly over the last ten years, the conceptual framework of this discipline and the evolution of its thematic priorities remain poorly defined. A bibliometric analysis of 1,164 publications appearing between 2016 and 2025 was conducted to understand the evolution of searches for articles published in the Web of Science Core Collection database. To determine the main research themes on tumor radioresistance, the study primarily relied on an examination of scientific output, authors’ keywords and their conceptual frameworks. The evolution of themes related to radioresistance was studied using a thematic trend analysis. For the visual representation of the data, the study used the VOS viewer and Bibliometrix tools. The results show that the scientific output originates primarily from China and the United States. Keyword frequency analysis reveals that tumor radioresistance is associated with important biological mechanisms, including apoptosis and autophagy. Lung, esophageal and nasopharyngeal cancers are the most frequently cited cancer types associated with radioresistance. Alongside the analysis of the fundamental biological mechanisms associated with radioresistance, research is focused on predictive biomarkers and finding therapeutic combinations that can improve the prognosis of oncology patients.
Keywords: Bibliometric Analysis, Cancer, Radiotherapy, Tumor Radioresistance, VOS Viewer