Mapping recent developments in ALKBH5-related cancer research: a bibliometric and visualization analysis

Mapping recent developments in ALKBH5-related cancer research: a bibliometric and visualization analysis | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Mapping recent developments in ALKBH5-related cancer research: a bibliometric and visualization analysis Liren Fang, Chao Ding, Lu Feng, Hong Li, Yinzhi Wang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8819432/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 12 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification is a key epitranscriptomic regulator implicated in cancer progression. Although ALKBH5, an m6A demethylase, has been widely studied, a systematic overview of the global research landscape remains limited. Bibliometric analysis can help address this gap by visualizing publication patterns and research hotspots. This study aims to delineate the developmental trends of ALKBH5 research in oncology from 2016 to 2025. Methods Cancer-focused publications on ALKBH5 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection for the period 2016–2025. Bibliometric and visualization analyses were conducted using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and SCImago Graphica. Results From 2016 to 2025, 551 publications were identified, with most outputs originating from China and the United States. Co-citation analysis highlighted Chuan Chen as a highly influential author, and Frontiers in Oncology was the most productive journal. Keyword burst analysis indicated increasing attention to the tumor microenvironment, suggesting a growing focus on microenvironment- and immunity-related mechanisms. Overall, these findings support ALKBH5 as a promising candidate for future therapeutic development. Conclusions This study summarizes publication trends and research frontiers in ALKBH5-related cancer research. The results provide a reference framework that may inform future mechanistic studies and clinical translation. ALKBH5 Cancer Bibliometric analysis Visualization Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 1. Introduction RNA modifications add an additional regulatory layer to gene expression. Among them, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the most prevalent internal marks in eukaryotic mRNA and influences RNA processing, stability, and translation 1 – 3 . m6A is controlled by a modular system: methyltransferases (“writers”) install the mark, binding proteins (“readers”) interpret it, and demethylases (“erasers”) remove it, allowing dynamic and context-dependent regulation of RNA fate 4 , 5 . ALKBH5 is a major m6A demethylase and belongs to the Fe (II)/α-ketoglutarate–dependent dioxygenase family. By removing m6A on selected transcripts, ALKBH5 can change RNA turnover and translational output, thereby reshaping downstream pathways. These effects are often transcript- and cell-state–specific, which helps explain why ALKBH5 can produce distinct outcomes across tissues and disease settings 6 – 8 . In cancer, ALKBH5 has been linked to phenotypes such as tumor cell plasticity, stem-like programs, stress adaptation, and interactions with the tumor immune microenvironment 9 – 11 . However, its functional direction and key targets are not uniform across tumor types, and the upstream cues that activate ALKBH5 and the critical ALKBH5-dependent transcripts remain incompletely defined. Given the rapid expansion of cancer-related publications on ALKBH5, a systematic appraisal of research trends is increasingly needed to inform future investigations. Bibliometric analysis provides a quantitative and visual framework to characterize scientific output, collaboration networks, and evolving research hotspots 12 , 13 . By integrating publication dynamics, citation structures, and keyword evolution, bibliometric approaches can outline the intellectual trajectory of a field, highlight knowledge gaps, and suggest prospective directions 14 . Accordingly, we performed a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of cancer-focused ALKBH5 studies published between 2016 and 2025. Using CiteSpace and VOSviewer, we mapped the global research landscape, identified major thematic clusters and influential contributors, and captured emerging trends 15 – 18 . This work summarizes the development of ALKBH5 research in cancer and offers a reference framework to support future mechanistic studies and clinical translation. 2. Methods 2.1 Data collection The Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) is a citation-indexed database that offers extensive citation data alongside bibliographic information and abstracts, in contrast to PubMed, which mainly serves as an abstract-oriented resource. While both Scopus and WoS primarily cover publications in the natural sciences, engineering, and biomedicine, Scopus provides comparatively wider representation of the social sciences and humanities. Even so, WoS remains the most commonly used data source for bibliometric and quantitative analyses. It should be noted that WoS does not necessarily include every relevant publication, which may lead to the exclusion of some studies in bibliometric assessments. Despite this constraint, WoSCC facilitates efficient retrieval of eligible articles and reviews based on predefined criteria and includes a substantial body of high-quality literature spanning multiple research areas. The search strategy was as follows: Topic = (“cancer”) AND (“ALKBH5”). Publications from 2016 to 2025 were retrieved. All records were imported into EndNote for de-duplication. Following screening, 551 English-language records (original articles and reviews) were included in the final analysis. The flowchart summarizes the screening and data extraction procedures in detail. 2.2 Data analysis and visualization To characterize and visualize research patterns in cancer-related ALKBH5 studies, we employed multiple bibliometric tools, including VOSviewer (version 1.6.20.0), CiteSpace (version 6.3.1.0), SCImago Graphica (version 1.0.42.0), and Microsoft Excel 2021. Each platform provides complementary analytical functions; their combined use enables a comprehensive, multi-dimensional assessment of publication outputs, collaboration networks, and the evolution of thematic foci in ALKBH5 oncology research. VOSviewer was used to construct and visualize scientific knowledge maps based on citation linkages and keyword co-occurrence. It supports analyses across multiple units of research activity, including countries/regions, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords, and generates network, overlay, and density visualizations to reveal dominant clusters and temporal shifts. In this study, network maps were mainly adopted, in which nodes represent entities (e.g., authors, organizations, or terms) and links indicate collaborative or conceptual relationships. Node size reflects occurrence frequency or relative weight, whereas link width indicates the strength of association (e.g., collaboration intensity or co-citation strength) 14 , 15 . CiteSpace, a Java-based bibliometric platform, was applied to identify intellectual turning points and emerging directions within the field. Through co-citation analysis and citation burst detection, CiteSpace depicts how the knowledge base develops over time, highlights highly influential references and pivotal studies, and detects keywords with abrupt increases in attention, thereby revealing rapidly growing and newly emerging topics in ALKBH5-related cancer research 17 . SCImago Graphica was further used to examine publication distributions and journal influence across disciplinary categories, helping to clarify the cross-disciplinary reach and thematic positioning of ALKBH5 research. In addition, Lotka’s Law was applied to evaluate the distribution of scientific productivity among authors in the retrieved dataset. Lotka’s Law describes the relationship between the number of authors and their publication output and can be expressed as: f(n) denotes the number of authors publishing n papers; n is the number of papers; C is a normalization constant (authors with one paper); and a is an empirical exponent that is commonly close to 2 across scientific fields. $$\:\text{f}\left(\text{n}\right)=\frac{\text{C}}{{\text{n}}^{\text{a}}}$$ 3. Results 3.1 Global publication trends Based on the predefined search-term strategy, a total of 551 publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Overall, the annual publication output demonstrated a clear upward trajectory across the study period (Fig. 2 ). From 2016 to 2019, research activity remained relatively limited, increasing gradually from 4 publications (0.73%) in 2016 to 19 publications (3.45%) in 2019. A pronounced inflection occurred in 2020, when the number of publications surged to 75 (13.61%), followed by a peak in 2021 with 99 publications (17.97%). Thereafter, publication volume remained at a consistently high level with modest fluctuations, recording 83 (15.06%) in 2022, 84 (15.25%) in 2023, and a transient decline to 73 (13.25%) in 2024. Notably, output rebounded in 2025 to 95 publications (17.24%). Overall, the fitted exponential trendline suggested an accelerating increase in publication activity (R² = 0.4672), indicating sustained and expanding scholarly attention in this field in recent years. 3.2 Country analysis A total of 551 documents were contributed by authors from 36 countries. Among the countries with at least 10 publications, the top ten were predominantly located in Asia and Europe, followed by North America. China ranked first with 469 publications, followed by the United States (n = 68), Germany (n = 14), Japan (n = 12), and India (n = 12). In terms of citation impact, the United States demonstrated superior publication quality, with the highest average citations per article (100.19). Germany and Canada also ranked among the top three countries by average citations (77.43 and 61.29, respectively). In contrast, China showed a comparatively lower citation impact (average citations = 53.36), substantially below that of the United States (Fig. 3 a). In addition, international collaboration networks were examined using VOSviewer, with countries required to have at least five publications for inclusion. In the resulting network of 10 eligible countries, China and the United States formed the most prominent nodes, indicating their leading roles in both productivity and cross-national collaboration (Fig. 3 b). 3.3 Institution analysis This analysis identified the most productive organizations among 587 institutions worldwide. Nanjing Medical University was the leading contributor, publishing 43 articles and accounting for 7.8% of all publications in this field. Sun Yat-sen University followed with 39 publications, with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Fudan University also ranking among the top contributors. When assessed by citation impact, Shanghai Jiao Tong University achieved the highest average citations per article (78.62), closely followed by Sun Yat-sen University (78.46), suggesting strong overall research quality (Fig. 4 a). An institutional co-authorship network was further constructed using VOSviewer, including 49 institutions with at least five publications. The resulting map suggests that cross-border institutional collaboration remains limited; most co-authorship links were concentrated among institutions within the same country rather than between institutions from different countries (Fig. 4 b). 3.4Author and co-cited author analysis A total of 3,777 authors contributed to the 551 studies on ALKBH5 and cancer, and 15 core authors published at least five papers (Fig. 5 a). Yan Wang was the most prolific author (9 publications), followed by Li Li (7 publications). In terms of citation impact, Chuan Chen had the highest average citations per article (233.8), accumulating this impact from only six publications, underscoring substantial influence in the field (Fig. 5 a). Author collaboration patterns were further examined using VOSviewer by including researchers with at least three publications. The resulting network comprised 132 nodes, 26 clusters, and 6,031 links. Overall, collaboration intensity was modest, with most authors showing limited co-authorship connections. In contrast, Yan Wang and Li Li exhibited comparatively extensive collaborative ties (Fig. 5 b). Overlay visualization suggested that their main contributions were concentrated around 2021, implying that this author group may not represent the most recent wave of research activity (Fig. 5 c). Co-citation analysis identified 12,908 cited authors. After applying a threshold of at least 50 co-citations, Xiujie Wang emerged as the most frequently co-cited author (n = 404), followed by Kate D. Meyer (n = 276) and Guanqun Zheng (n = 273) (Fig. 5 d). 3.5 Journal and co-cited journals analysis Publications on ALKBH5 and cancer were distributed across 257 journals, including 15 journals with more than six articles each. The three most productive outlets were Frontiers in Oncology (n = 28), Molecular Cancer (n = 16), and the Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research (n = 10). Among the leading journals, Molecular Cancer had the highest impact factor (IF = 33.9), followed by Cancer Research (IF = 16.6) (Fig. 6 a). A citation-relationship map of 26 journals with at least five publications showed strong citation connectivity between Molecular Cancer and Frontiers in Oncology (Fig. 6 b). The temporal distribution further suggested that some of the most recent papers were published in Scientific Reports (Fig. 6 b). Co-citation analysis identified 2,270 co-cited journals; only two were cited more than 1,400 times—Nature (1,485 citations) and Molecular Cancer (1,471 citations) (Fig. 6 c). Notably, the impact factors of the top 10 co-cited journals varied widely, with Nature (IF = 48.5) and Science (IF = 45.8) representing the highest tier (Fig. 6 c). Based on 60 journals meeting a minimum citation threshold of 112, the co-citation network separated into three major clusters (Fig. 6 d). The blue cluster comprised high-impact journals (e.g., Nature, Cell, Molecular Cancer, and Cancer Cell), reflecting the leading edge of research in this area. The red cluster was centered on cancer genetics–oriented journals, whereas the green cluster primarily encompassed molecular and mechanistic studies. Within this network, Molecular Cancer exhibited strong co-citation links with Nature Communications, Molecular Cell, and Oncogene (Fig. 6 d) 3.6 Co-cited reference analysis Over the past decade, 17,692 co-cited references were identified in ALKBH5-related cancer studies. The most frequently cited paper was “ALKBH5 is a Mammalian RNA Demethylase that Impacts RNA Metabolism and Mouse Fertility” by GuanQun Zheng, cited 254 times 19 . In addition, “N6-methyladenosine-dependent regulation of messenger RNA stability” published in Nature (IF = 48.5), was also among the most highly cited references and ranked at the top of the list 20 . Moreover, two references accumulated ≥ 200 citations, including “ALKBH5 Is a Mammalian RNA Demethylase that Impacts RNA Metabolism and Mouse Fertility” (n = 254) by GuanQun Zheng and “m6A Demethylase ALKBH5 Maintains Tumorigenicity of Glioblastoma Stem-like Cells by Sustaining FOXM1 Expression and Cell Proliferation Program” (n = 210) by Sicong Zhang, published in Molecular Cell and Cancer Cell, respectively 21 . The temporal distribution further indicates that most highly cited studies were published between 2011 and 2017 (Fig. 7 a). References with ≥ 60 citations were mapped using VOSviewer to visualize co-citation relationships. The network shows that “ALKBH5 Is a Mammalian RNA Demethylase that Impacts RNA Metabolism and Mouse Fertility” by GuanQun Zheng exhibited positive co-citation links with “N6-methyladenosine in nuclear RNA is a major substrate of the obesity-associated FTO” and “N6-methyladenosine-dependent regulation of messenger RNA stability” by Guifang Jia and Xiujie Wang (Fig. 7 b). 3.7 Keyword analysis Keywords summarize the core content of a publication, and keyword co-occurrence analysis is commonly used to identify research hotspots. In this study, VOSviewer was applied to the 551 documents to construct a keyword co-occurrence network. Overall, 1,763 keywords were extracted, and the 50 most frequent keywords (≥ 17 occurrences) were selected for visualization (Fig. 8 a). High-frequency terms such as “ALKBH5,” “expression,” “cancer,” and “Messenger RNA” reflect the major themes of the field. The network map formed four clusters (red, green, yellow, and blue), corresponding to distinct research directions. The red cluster centers on cancer progression, featuring keywords such as “m6A,” “progression,” “proliferation,” “metastasis,” and “promotes,” which collectively capture studies on tumor development and underlying mechanisms. The green cluster highlights protein translation, including “translation,” “gene-expression,” “methyltransferase,” “Messenger RNA,” and “Nuclear-RNA,” and mainly reflects research on the influence of ALKBH5 on protein translation in tumor cells. The yellow cluster emphasizes protein stability, represented by keywords such as “stability,” “protein,” “activation,” and “binding,” focusing on mechanisms by which ALKBH5 regulates protein stability. Finally, the blue cluster relates to therapy resistance, with keywords including “resistance,” “metabolism,” and “autophagy,” capturing mechanistic studies of ALKBH5 in drug resistance. This field has emerged as a prominent research focus in recent years, with increasing attention devoted to elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor initiation and progression. Keyword burst analysis captures terms that experience a rapid increase in attention within a defined time window, thereby marking potential research hotspots. In general, a decline in node frequency suggests waning interest, whereas relatively stable frequencies indicate sustained relevance. Our results show that, between 2016 and 2025, burst keywords such as “stem like cells,” “differentiation,” “metabolism,” and “tumorigenicity” were consistently prominent, largely reflecting studies centered on tumor progression and actionable gene targets. Collectively, these terms likely represent current hotspots in ALKBH5-related cancer research (Fig. 8 b). 4. Discussion This study retrieved 551 publications on ALKBH5 in cancer from the Web of Science (WOS) spanning 2016–2025. In terms of temporal patterns, output rose sharply after 2020, likely reflecting growing recognition of ALKBH5 as a key regulator of tumor initiation, progression, and treatment response. Since 2020, research has increasingly focused on ALKBH5-related mechanisms and biological consequences in cancer, and its potential integration with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy—offering new avenues for therapeutic development 22 , 23 . Over the past five years, notable advances have been reported, particularly in tumor stemness, chemotherapy resistance, tumor microenvironment (TME) remodeling, and precision medicine 4 , 24 , 25 . Overall, however, ALKBH5-centered therapeutic strategies remain at an early stage of translation. Over the past decade, publication and citation analyses indicate that China has contributed the largest share of output in this area (approximately 85%). The United States ranks second, contributing more than 10%, while European countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom also show substantial participation. They collaborated mainly within their own country, with relatively little cross-border partnership. Further strengthening international collaboration across countries and institutions may accelerate progress and, ultimately, contribute to reducing cancer incidence and recurrence. At the institutional level, Nanjing Medical University leads with more than 40 publications, followed by Sun Yat-sen University with over 30, whereas the remaining top institutions have published fewer than 30 papers each. Co-citation patterns likewise highlight Sun Yat-sen University, Nanjing Medical University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University as highly influential. The overlap between high-output institutions and highly co-cited institutions underscores their central role in shaping this research landscape. Overall, ALKBH5-oncology studies are driven largely by leading domestic institutions, reflecting sustained attention to the field and rapid progress across both mechanistic research and potential clinical applications. From an authorship perspective, 15 core authors have each published at least five articles. Yan Wang shows the highest publication count, whereas Chuan Chen has accumulated more citations, suggesting comparatively greater scholarly influence. Collaboration intensity appears moderate overall, with relatively limited cooperation among many authors. In contrast, Li Li exhibits extensive collaborative ties. Notably, his group reported a mechanism in which ALKBH5 and pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase 2 (PYCR2) establish a positive feedback loop that supports proline synthesis in glioblastoma (GBM) 26 . In additional collaborative work, they examined the expression of m6A methylation–related genes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), their prognostic relevance, and associations with immune infiltration, concluding that m6A methyltransferase–related genes may serve as prognostic indicators linked to immune features in HNSCC 27 – 31 . Regarding journals, each of the top 15 outlets has published more than six ALKBH5-and-cancer articles. Frontiers in Oncology ranks first (28 papers), followed by Molecular Cancer (16) and Clinical Cancer Research (10), while other journals in this group have each contributed fewer than 10 papers. Among the top 10 co-cited journals, highly cited sources include Nature and Molecular Cancer. The impact factors of these co-cited journals vary substantially, with Nature (IF = 48.5) and Science (IF = 45.8) among the highest. Studies on ALKBH5 in cancer are mainly disseminated through journals in molecular biology, immunology, pharmacology, oncology, and clinical medicine. This disciplinary spread highlights the broad interest the topic has attracted and suggests steady advances spanning foundational mechanisms and translational/clinical research. Keyword analysis further clarifies thematic structure. “N6-methyladenosine” and “m6A modification” occupy central positions, confirming that this domain is anchored in epitranscriptomics. Burst keywords such as “colorectal cancer” and “ovarian cancer” suggest intensified attention to ALKBH5 functions in specific malignancies. Additional terms—including “metabolism,” “tumor microenvironment,” and “immunity”—indicate an expanding scope that increasingly links ALKBH5-mediated m6A editing to broader tumor physiology and anti-tumor immune responses. For example, colorectal cancer remains a globally prevalent malignancy with high incidence and mortality. In 2019, Liu X. et al. reported dysregulated expression of m6A-related genes in colorectal cancer, showing that multiple key genes, including ALKBH5, were downregulated and associated with prognosis, implicating these regulators in tumor progression 32 . The presence of more than 40 related articles also suggests sustained interest in ALKBH5 across high-burden cancers. In parallel, immunotherapeutic strategies aimed at improving the TME have become a major focus in recent years 33 – 37 . In 2020, Li N. et al. reported that inhibiting the RNA demethylase ALKBH5 could remodel the TME and enhance responsiveness to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) 38 . In 2021, Qiu X.Y. et al. examined the dual role of ALKBH5 in shaping the immune microenvironment of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), proposing a mechanism in which PD-L1 expression is regulated via mRNA epigenetic modification 39 . Collectively, these studies—supported by more than 30 related publications—have helped open new directions for future cancer therapy. Several limitations should be acknowledged. First, the dataset was derived solely from WOS, which may omit relevant records indexed in other databases. Second, only English-language publications were included, introducing potential language bias. Third, incomplete records from 2025 were excluded to improve dataset consistency; however, this may reduce sensitivity for detecting the most recent trends, citation impact, and collaboration dynamics. Finally, study quality appraisal relied primarily on author-focused metrics, which imposes methodological constraints; future work would benefit from incorporating standardized quality assessment frameworks to enable more rigorous evaluation. Future research should deepen mechanistic understanding of ALKBH5 in defined cancer contexts, particularly its crosstalk with the TME and immune system 40 – 43 . Translational efforts are also needed to develop and validate ALKBH5-targeting agents and to test efficacy in both preclinical models and clinical settings. In addition, identifying robust biomarkers based on ALKBH5 activity or m6A signatures may facilitate patient stratification and individualized treatment. Sustained international collaboration will be critical for converting mechanistic discoveries into clinically actionable strategies. In summary, ALKBH5 research in cancer is a rapidly evolving, globally engaged field rooted in m6A biology. Its progression—from a fundamental RNA modification regulator to a candidate therapeutic target—highlights the broader promise of epitranscriptomics in oncology. Addressing current limitations while prioritizing translational development will be essential for realizing the clinical potential of ALKBH5-focused research and improving patient outcomes. 5. Conclusions Based on 551 publications on ALKBH5 in cancer, this study used VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and SCImago Graphica to systematically map publication trends, collaboration networks, and the evolution of research hotspots. The results suggest that, as mechanistic understanding advances, increasing attention is being directed toward the roles of ALKBH5 in tumor progression and therapy resistance/drug resistance. Nevertheless, progress remains constrained by an uneven distribution of research resources, limited depth of international collaboration, and a relative shortage of rigorous mechanistic investigations. Overall, research on ALKBH5 in cancer is still at an early stage, and larger-scale, multicenter, mechanism-driven studies are needed to accelerate clinical translation. Declarations Acknowledgments: Not applicable. Authors’ contributions: LRF: Conceptualization, Software, Methodology, Investigation. CD: Formal analysis, Data curation. LF: Supervision, Resources. HL: Project administration, Investigation. YZW: Project administration, Formal analysis. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Disclosure statement: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors. Availability of data and materials: The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Funding: This work was supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Program (Grant No.2026092175). Clinical trial number: Not applicable. References Fang, S., Wang, R. & Chen, P. ALKBH5 enhances CX3CL1 RNA stability and governs macrophage polarization and bone integrity in glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis. Biochemical pharmacology 243 , 117466, doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2025.117466 (2026). Pádua, D., Mesquita, P. & Almeida, R. 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Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie 174 , 116479, doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116479 (2024). Ji, H. et al. Comprehensive characterization of tumor microenvironment and m6A RNA methylation regulators and its effects on PD-L1 and immune infiltrates in cervical cancer. Frontiers in immunology 13 , 976107, doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.976107 (2022). Jiang, Y. et al. RNA demethylase ALKBH5 promotes ovarian carcinogenesis in a simulated tumour microenvironment through stimulating NF-κB pathway. Journal of cellular and molecular medicine 24 , 6137-6148, doi:10.1111/jcmm.15228 (2020). Tang, Q. et al. m(6)A modification-dependent upregulation of WNT2 facilitates M2-like macrophage polarization and perpetuates malignant progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Oncogene 44 , 2730-2745, doi:10.1038/s41388-025-03452-7 (2025). Li, N. et al. ALKBH5 regulates anti-PD-1 therapy response by modulating lactate and suppressive immune cell accumulation in tumor microenvironment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 117 , 20159-20170, doi:10.1073/pnas.1918986117 (2020). Qiu, X. et al. M(6)A Demethylase ALKBH5 Regulates PD-L1 Expression and Tumor Immunoenvironment in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma. Cancer research 81 , 4778-4793, doi:10.1158/0008-5472.Can-21-0468 (2021). Cai, L. et al. ALKBH5 demethylates the m(6)A modification of SOCS3 in microglia/macrophages and alleviates neuroinflammation after brain injury. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 122 , e2504697122, doi:10.1073/pnas.2504697122 (2025). Feng, N. et al. piENOX2 regulates ALKBH5-mediated Itga4 m(6)A modification to accelerate the progression of rheumatoid arthritis. Experimental & molecular medicine 57 , 1579-1592, doi:10.1038/s12276-025-01503-3 (2025). Pang, X. et al. Excessive ultra-processed foods exposure aggravates ulcerative colitis via macrophage ferroptosis. Environment international 202 , 109706, doi:10.1016/j.envint.2025.109706 (2025). Sun, Y., Li, Y. & Liu, J. Unveiling novel therapeutic mechanisms of Xinfeng capsule: modulating the ALKBH5-m6A-LINC00968 axis to alleviate oxidative stress-driven NETosis in rheumatoid arthritis. Frontiers in immunology 16 , 1707663, doi:10.3389/fimmu.2025.1707663 (2025). Tables Table 1 is available in the Supplementary Files section. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Table.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 09 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 28 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 22 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 21 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 18 Feb, 2026 Editor invited by journal 16 Feb, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 11 Feb, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 11 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 08 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8819432","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":594770999,"identity":"359beaf6-29e4-448d-89ef-093c9129f2d7","order_by":0,"name":"Liren Fang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Neurosurgery department，Tianjin Medical University Second Hospital，Tianjin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Liren","middleName":"","lastName":"Fang","suffix":""},{"id":594771000,"identity":"26e3a374-4f53-4ff6-ba97-1e08bd5d8267","order_by":1,"name":"Chao Ding","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAyklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACfvbG9g8fftjU7z/eQKQWyZ7Dxxhn9qQxNpw5QKQWgxlpacwcbIcZG24kEKtFIsfsMQMPMzPjzMcbbzDU2EQT1GLO88bcuMCCjY1ZOq3YguFYWm4DIS2W7TkG0jN4eHjYpHPMJBgbDhPWYnAAqIWHTUKCR/IMsVpOpKUBtRgYADURqQUYyIcNZ/YkJBjwAP2SQIxfgFHZ+ODDj/8JBuyHN974UGNDWAuKIyUSSFEO0UKqjlEwCkbBKBgZAAACoz8fkBR2fQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital)","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chao","middleName":"","lastName":"Ding","suffix":""},{"id":594771001,"identity":"aaff78e4-7137-413f-abc3-94acc0b1da25","order_by":2,"name":"Lu Feng","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Lu","middleName":"","lastName":"Feng","suffix":""},{"id":594771002,"identity":"d074bf16-dd94-4a6a-a3af-162d8460fac1","order_by":3,"name":"Hong Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Neurosurgery department，Tianjin Medical University Second Hospital，Tianjin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hong","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":594771003,"identity":"6277944b-c866-4995-a4f1-50337d54c9a2","order_by":4,"name":"Yinzhi Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tianjin Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yinzhi","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-08 06:08:12","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8819432/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8819432/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":103241619,"identity":"cc05062b-e3ae-460b-a48f-c7e2c14ea1b4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-23 14:12:39","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":72569,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eWorkflow for data retrieval and screening.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8819432/v1/1601bc07406176241a87a894.png"},{"id":103241617,"identity":"0d1b48af-3398-433e-afdf-35ea447b69c7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-23 14:12:37","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":25439,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eGlobal publication trajectory of ALKBH5-related cancer research.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8819432/v1/3869dd075522a3c36664fc83.png"},{"id":103241609,"identity":"0703ced7-0578-4109-ab21-72c72fe0a769","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-23 14:12:35","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":137007,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eGlobal analysis of countries and institutions in ALKBH5–cancer research. (a) Publication and citation distribution; darker shading indicates a higher mean citation rate. (b) International collaboration network of major contributing countries visualized with Scimago Graphica (e.g., Canada, Egypt, Italy, South Korea). Circle size reflects publication volume, and link thickness indicates collaboration strength.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8819432/v1/ea8c88334bdf365eceb9d291.png"},{"id":103241607,"identity":"e0ea97a7-9548-4e5f-ad53-ba4fc916357a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-23 14:12:32","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":119615,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eInstitutional and country-level landscape of ALKBH5 research in cancer. (a) Trend plot of the top 10 productive institutions; circle size denotes journal impact factor (IF). (b) VOSviewer overlay map showing country collaboration over time: node size indicates publication count, edges denote collaborations, and color gradation represents the average publication year.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8819432/v1/ff85696534ccff278507d457.png"},{"id":103241611,"identity":"1fd282e1-0cf7-453e-a6ab-48d81c6542e5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-23 14:12:35","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":231210,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAuthor and co-authorship patterns in ALKBH5–cancer research. (a) Author productivity and citation impact. (b) Co-authorship network and (c) overlay visualization of author collaboration; node size represents publication output, edges indicate co-authorship ties, and color shading reflects the average publication year. (d) Density map of co-cited authors; darker regions indicate higher co-citation frequency, and circle size/distribution reflects the intensity of scholarly linkage.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8819432/v1/2df455dfa30e9aeddfc6ffe9.png"},{"id":103241610,"identity":"7c10b879-8ebf-413d-bbc5-8898bf93cd78","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-23 14:12:35","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":196731,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eJournal and co-cited journal analysis in ALKBH5–cancer research. (a) Top 15 journals by output/citations. (b) Temporal overlay map of journal relationships. (c) Top 10 co-cited journals. (d) Network map of co-cited journals. In (a) and (c), circle size corresponds to citation counts; in (b) and (d), node size reflects publication volume, edges represent link strength, and colors indicate journal categories.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8819432/v1/e178c381182206e09aea9253.png"},{"id":103241606,"identity":"19e51962-92db-46f3-a052-3469a60c5d48","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-23 14:12:32","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":318965,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eCo-cited reference analysis in ALKBH5–cancer research. (a) Top 10 co-cited references; circle size indicates citations, color denotes category, color intensity reflects IF, and placement corresponds to publication year. (b) Co-citation network of references; node size represents citation frequency, links reflect co-citation relationships, and colors indicate categories.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"7.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8819432/v1/0e3ab827a4ddaaa3173e7350.png"},{"id":103241604,"identity":"bb597324-a80c-4b75-9006-6884c99a52b6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-23 14:12:31","extension":"png","order_by":8,"title":"Figure 8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":258101,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eKeyword landscape and burst detection for ALKBH5 in cancer. (a) Keyword co-occurrence network: node size indicates relevance/weight, and colors denote thematic clusters. (b) Keyword burst map: red shading represents occurrence frequency (darker = higher), while bar length reflects burst strength and duration over time.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"8.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8819432/v1/b01d0f3031ea4fde3f220215.png"},{"id":103241676,"identity":"cade5492-313b-44c7-b6af-116c9d8d8ff2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-23 14:12:49","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1913901,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8819432/v1/dd711723-9b38-44ad-ab04-244e94b69080.pdf"},{"id":103241601,"identity":"ac65ac4a-6a16-43e5-bc1b-3c72e5b379ec","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-23 14:12:29","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":115990,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Table.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8819432/v1/93dd8835a73a1a1a1d974497.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Mapping recent developments in ALKBH5-related cancer research: a bibliometric and visualization analysis","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eRNA modifications add an additional regulatory layer to gene expression. Among them, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the most prevalent internal marks in eukaryotic mRNA and influences RNA processing, stability, and translation\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR2\" citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. m6A is controlled by a modular system: methyltransferases (\u0026ldquo;writers\u0026rdquo;) install the mark, binding proteins (\u0026ldquo;readers\u0026rdquo;) interpret it, and demethylases (\u0026ldquo;erasers\u0026rdquo;) remove it, allowing dynamic and context-dependent regulation of RNA fate\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. ALKBH5 is a major m6A demethylase and belongs to the Fe (II)/α-ketoglutarate\u0026ndash;dependent dioxygenase family. By removing m6A on selected transcripts, ALKBH5 can change RNA turnover and translational output, thereby reshaping downstream pathways. These effects are often transcript- and cell-state\u0026ndash;specific, which helps explain why ALKBH5 can produce distinct outcomes across tissues and disease settings\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR7\" citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn cancer, ALKBH5 has been linked to phenotypes such as tumor cell plasticity, stem-like programs, stress adaptation, and interactions with the tumor immune microenvironment\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR10\" citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. However, its functional direction and key targets are not uniform across tumor types, and the upstream cues that activate ALKBH5 and the critical ALKBH5-dependent transcripts remain incompletely defined.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGiven the rapid expansion of cancer-related publications on ALKBH5, a systematic appraisal of research trends is increasingly needed to inform future investigations. Bibliometric analysis provides a quantitative and visual framework to characterize scientific output, collaboration networks, and evolving research hotspots\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. By integrating publication dynamics, citation structures, and keyword evolution, bibliometric approaches can outline the intellectual trajectory of a field, highlight knowledge gaps, and suggest prospective directions\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Accordingly, we performed a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of cancer-focused ALKBH5 studies published between 2016 and 2025. Using CiteSpace and VOSviewer, we mapped the global research landscape, identified major thematic clusters and influential contributors, and captured emerging trends\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR16 CR17\" citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. This work summarizes the development of ALKBH5 research in cancer and offers a reference framework to support future mechanistic studies and clinical translation.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1 Data collection\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) is a citation-indexed database that offers extensive citation data alongside bibliographic information and abstracts, in contrast to PubMed, which mainly serves as an abstract-oriented resource. While both Scopus and WoS primarily cover publications in the natural sciences, engineering, and biomedicine, Scopus provides comparatively wider representation of the social sciences and humanities. Even so, WoS remains the most commonly used data source for bibliometric and quantitative analyses. It should be noted that WoS does not necessarily include every relevant publication, which may lead to the exclusion of some studies in bibliometric assessments. Despite this constraint, WoSCC facilitates efficient retrieval of eligible articles and reviews based on predefined criteria and includes a substantial body of high-quality literature spanning multiple research areas.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe search strategy was as follows: Topic = (\u0026ldquo;cancer\u0026rdquo;) AND (\u0026ldquo;ALKBH5\u0026rdquo;). Publications from 2016 to 2025 were retrieved. All records were imported into EndNote for de-duplication. Following screening, 551 English-language records (original articles and reviews) were included in the final analysis. The flowchart summarizes the screening and data extraction procedures in detail.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2 Data analysis and visualization\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo characterize and visualize research patterns in cancer-related ALKBH5 studies, we employed multiple bibliometric tools, including VOSviewer (version 1.6.20.0), CiteSpace (version 6.3.1.0), SCImago Graphica (version 1.0.42.0), and Microsoft Excel 2021. Each platform provides complementary analytical functions; their combined use enables a comprehensive, multi-dimensional assessment of publication outputs, collaboration networks, and the evolution of thematic foci in ALKBH5 oncology research.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eVOSviewer was used to construct and visualize scientific knowledge maps based on citation linkages and keyword co-occurrence. It supports analyses across multiple units of research activity, including countries/regions, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords, and generates network, overlay, and density visualizations to reveal dominant clusters and temporal shifts. In this study, network maps were mainly adopted, in which nodes represent entities (e.g., authors, organizations, or terms) and links indicate collaborative or conceptual relationships. Node size reflects occurrence frequency or relative weight, whereas link width indicates the strength of association (e.g., collaboration intensity or co-citation strength)\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCiteSpace, a Java-based bibliometric platform, was applied to identify intellectual turning points and emerging directions within the field. Through co-citation analysis and citation burst detection, CiteSpace depicts how the knowledge base develops over time, highlights highly influential references and pivotal studies, and detects keywords with abrupt increases in attention, thereby revealing rapidly growing and newly emerging topics in ALKBH5-related cancer research\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSCImago Graphica was further used to examine publication distributions and journal influence across disciplinary categories, helping to clarify the cross-disciplinary reach and thematic positioning of ALKBH5 research. In addition, Lotka\u0026rsquo;s Law was applied to evaluate the distribution of scientific productivity among authors in the retrieved dataset. Lotka\u0026rsquo;s Law describes the relationship between the number of authors and their publication output and can be expressed as: \u003cem\u003ef(n)\u003c/em\u003e denotes the number of authors publishing \u003cem\u003en\u003c/em\u003e papers; \u003cem\u003en\u003c/em\u003e is the number of papers; \u003cem\u003eC\u003c/em\u003e is a normalization constant (authors with one paper); and \u003cem\u003ea\u003c/em\u003e is an empirical exponent that is commonly close to 2 across scientific fields.\u003cdiv id=\"Equa\" class=\"Equation\"\u003e\u003cdiv format=\"TEX\" class=\"mathdisplay\" id=\"FileID_Equa\" name=\"EquationSource\"\u003e\n$$\\:\\text{f}\\left(\\text{n}\\right)=\\frac{\\text{C}}{{\\text{n}}^{\\text{a}}}$$\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1 Global publication trends\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased on the predefined search-term strategy, a total of 551 publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Overall, the annual publication output demonstrated a clear upward trajectory across the study period (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). From 2016 to 2019, research activity remained relatively limited, increasing gradually from 4 publications (0.73%) in 2016 to 19 publications (3.45%) in 2019. A pronounced inflection occurred in 2020, when the number of publications surged to 75 (13.61%), followed by a peak in 2021 with 99 publications (17.97%). Thereafter, publication volume remained at a consistently high level with modest fluctuations, recording 83 (15.06%) in 2022, 84 (15.25%) in 2023, and a transient decline to 73 (13.25%) in 2024. Notably, output rebounded in 2025 to 95 publications (17.24%). Overall, the fitted exponential trendline suggested an accelerating increase in publication activity (R\u0026sup2; = 0.4672), indicating sustained and expanding scholarly attention in this field in recent years.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2 Country analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total of 551 documents were contributed by authors from 36 countries. Among the countries with at least 10 publications, the top ten were predominantly located in Asia and Europe, followed by North America. China ranked first with 469 publications, followed by the United States (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;68), Germany (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;14), Japan (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;12), and India (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;12). In terms of citation impact, the United States demonstrated superior publication quality, with the highest average citations per article (100.19). Germany and Canada also ranked among the top three countries by average citations (77.43 and 61.29, respectively). In contrast, China showed a comparatively lower citation impact (average citations\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;53.36), substantially below that of the United States (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003ea).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn addition, international collaboration networks were examined using VOSviewer, with countries required to have at least five publications for inclusion. In the resulting network of 10 eligible countries, China and the United States formed the most prominent nodes, indicating their leading roles in both productivity and cross-national collaboration (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003eb).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3 Institution analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis analysis identified the most productive organizations among 587 institutions worldwide. Nanjing Medical University was the leading contributor, publishing 43 articles and accounting for 7.8% of all publications in this field. Sun Yat-sen University followed with 39 publications, with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Fudan University also ranking among the top contributors. When assessed by citation impact, Shanghai Jiao Tong University achieved the highest average citations per article (78.62), closely followed by Sun Yat-sen University (78.46), suggesting strong overall research quality (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003ea).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn institutional co-authorship network was further constructed using VOSviewer, including 49 institutions with at least five publications. The resulting map suggests that cross-border institutional collaboration remains limited; most co-authorship links were concentrated among institutions within the same country rather than between institutions from different countries (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eb).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.4Author and co-cited author analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total of 3,777 authors contributed to the 551 studies on ALKBH5 and cancer, and 15 core authors published at least five papers (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003ea). Yan Wang was the most prolific author (9 publications), followed by Li Li (7 publications). In terms of citation impact, Chuan Chen had the highest average citations per article (233.8), accumulating this impact from only six publications, underscoring substantial influence in the field (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003ea).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAuthor collaboration patterns were further examined using VOSviewer by including researchers with at least three publications. The resulting network comprised 132 nodes, 26 clusters, and 6,031 links. Overall, collaboration intensity was modest, with most authors showing limited co-authorship connections. In contrast, Yan Wang and Li Li exhibited comparatively extensive collaborative ties (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eb). Overlay visualization suggested that their main contributions were concentrated around 2021, implying that this author group may not represent the most recent wave of research activity (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003ec).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCo-citation analysis identified 12,908 cited authors. After applying a threshold of at least 50 co-citations, Xiujie Wang emerged as the most frequently co-cited author (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;404), followed by Kate D. Meyer (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;276) and Guanqun Zheng (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;273) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003ed).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.5 Journal and co-cited journals analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublications on ALKBH5 and cancer were distributed across 257 journals, including 15 journals with more than six articles each. The three most productive outlets were Frontiers in Oncology (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;28), Molecular Cancer (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;16), and the Journal of Experimental \u0026amp; Clinical Cancer Research (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;10). Among the leading journals, Molecular Cancer had the highest impact factor (IF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;33.9), followed by Cancer Research (IF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;16.6) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003ea).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA citation-relationship map of 26 journals with at least five publications showed strong citation connectivity between Molecular Cancer and Frontiers in Oncology (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eb). The temporal distribution further suggested that some of the most recent papers were published in Scientific Reports (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eb). Co-citation analysis identified 2,270 co-cited journals; only two were cited more than 1,400 times\u0026mdash;Nature (1,485 citations) and Molecular Cancer (1,471 citations) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003ec). Notably, the impact factors of the top 10 co-cited journals varied widely, with Nature (IF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;48.5) and Science (IF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;45.8) representing the highest tier (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003ec).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased on 60 journals meeting a minimum citation threshold of 112, the co-citation network separated into three major clusters (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003ed). The blue cluster comprised high-impact journals (e.g., Nature, Cell, Molecular Cancer, and Cancer Cell), reflecting the leading edge of research in this area. The red cluster was centered on cancer genetics\u0026ndash;oriented journals, whereas the green cluster primarily encompassed molecular and mechanistic studies. Within this network, Molecular Cancer exhibited strong co-citation links with Nature Communications, Molecular Cell, and Oncogene (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003ed)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.6 Co-cited reference analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eOver the past decade, 17,692 co-cited references were identified in ALKBH5-related cancer studies. The most frequently cited paper was \u0026ldquo;ALKBH5 is a Mammalian RNA Demethylase that Impacts RNA Metabolism and Mouse Fertility\u0026rdquo; by GuanQun Zheng, cited 254 times\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. In addition, \u0026ldquo;N6-methyladenosine-dependent regulation of messenger RNA stability\u0026rdquo; published in Nature (IF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;48.5), was also among the most highly cited references and ranked at the top of the list\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Moreover, two references accumulated\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;200 citations, including \u0026ldquo;ALKBH5 Is a Mammalian RNA Demethylase that Impacts RNA Metabolism and Mouse Fertility\u0026rdquo; (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;254) by GuanQun Zheng and \u0026ldquo;m6A Demethylase ALKBH5 Maintains Tumorigenicity of Glioblastoma Stem-like Cells by Sustaining FOXM1 Expression and Cell Proliferation Program\u0026rdquo; (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;210) by Sicong Zhang, published in Molecular Cell and Cancer Cell, respectively\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The temporal distribution further indicates that most highly cited studies were published between 2011 and 2017 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003ea).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReferences with \u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;60 citations were mapped using VOSviewer to visualize co-citation relationships. The network shows that \u0026ldquo;ALKBH5 Is a Mammalian RNA Demethylase that Impacts RNA Metabolism and Mouse Fertility\u0026rdquo; by GuanQun Zheng exhibited positive co-citation links with \u0026ldquo;N6-methyladenosine in nuclear RNA is a major substrate of the obesity-associated FTO\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;N6-methyladenosine-dependent regulation of messenger RNA stability\u0026rdquo; by Guifang Jia and Xiujie Wang (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003eb).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003e3.7 Keyword analysis\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKeywords summarize the core content of a publication, and keyword co-occurrence analysis is commonly used to identify research hotspots. In this study, VOSviewer was applied to the 551 documents to construct a keyword co-occurrence network. Overall, 1,763 keywords were extracted, and the 50 most frequent keywords (\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;17 occurrences) were selected for visualization (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003ea). High-frequency terms such as \u0026ldquo;ALKBH5,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;expression,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;cancer,\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;Messenger RNA\u0026rdquo; reflect the major themes of the field.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe network map formed four clusters (red, green, yellow, and blue), corresponding to distinct research directions. The red cluster centers on cancer progression, featuring keywords such as \u0026ldquo;m6A,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;progression,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;proliferation,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;metastasis,\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;promotes,\u0026rdquo; which collectively capture studies on tumor development and underlying mechanisms. The green cluster highlights protein translation, including \u0026ldquo;translation,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;gene-expression,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;methyltransferase,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Messenger RNA,\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;Nuclear-RNA,\u0026rdquo; and mainly reflects research on the influence of ALKBH5 on protein translation in tumor cells. The yellow cluster emphasizes protein stability, represented by keywords such as \u0026ldquo;stability,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;protein,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;activation,\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;binding,\u0026rdquo; focusing on mechanisms by which ALKBH5 regulates protein stability. Finally, the blue cluster relates to therapy resistance, with keywords including \u0026ldquo;resistance,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;metabolism,\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;autophagy,\u0026rdquo; capturing mechanistic studies of ALKBH5 in drug resistance.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis field has emerged as a prominent research focus in recent years, with increasing attention devoted to elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor initiation and progression. Keyword burst analysis captures terms that experience a rapid increase in attention within a defined time window, thereby marking potential research hotspots. In general, a decline in node frequency suggests waning interest, whereas relatively stable frequencies indicate sustained relevance.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOur results show that, between 2016 and 2025, burst keywords such as \u0026ldquo;stem like cells,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;differentiation,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;metabolism,\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;tumorigenicity\u0026rdquo; were consistently prominent, largely reflecting studies centered on tumor progression and actionable gene targets. Collectively, these terms likely represent current hotspots in ALKBH5-related cancer research (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003eb).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study retrieved 551 publications on ALKBH5 in cancer from the Web of Science (WOS) spanning 2016\u0026ndash;2025. In terms of temporal patterns, output rose sharply after 2020, likely reflecting growing recognition of ALKBH5 as a key regulator of tumor initiation, progression, and treatment response. Since 2020, research has increasingly focused on ALKBH5-related mechanisms and biological consequences in cancer, and its potential integration with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy\u0026mdash;offering new avenues for therapeutic development\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Over the past five years, notable advances have been reported, particularly in tumor stemness, chemotherapy resistance, tumor microenvironment (TME) remodeling, and precision medicine\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e,\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Overall, however, ALKBH5-centered therapeutic strategies remain at an early stage of translation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOver the past decade, publication and citation analyses indicate that China has contributed the largest share of output in this area (approximately 85%). The United States ranks second, contributing more than 10%, while European countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom also show substantial participation. They collaborated mainly within their own country, with relatively little cross-border partnership. Further strengthening international collaboration across countries and institutions may accelerate progress and, ultimately, contribute to reducing cancer incidence and recurrence.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAt the institutional level, Nanjing Medical University leads with more than 40 publications, followed by Sun Yat-sen University with over 30, whereas the remaining top institutions have published fewer than 30 papers each. Co-citation patterns likewise highlight Sun Yat-sen University, Nanjing Medical University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University as highly influential. The overlap between high-output institutions and highly co-cited institutions underscores their central role in shaping this research landscape. Overall, ALKBH5-oncology studies are driven largely by leading domestic institutions, reflecting sustained attention to the field and rapid progress across both mechanistic research and potential clinical applications.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom an authorship perspective, 15 core authors have each published at least five articles. Yan Wang shows the highest publication count, whereas Chuan Chen has accumulated more citations, suggesting comparatively greater scholarly influence. Collaboration intensity appears moderate overall, with relatively limited cooperation among many authors. In contrast, Li Li exhibits extensive collaborative ties. Notably, his group reported a mechanism in which ALKBH5 and pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase 2 (PYCR2) establish a positive feedback loop that supports proline synthesis in glioblastoma (GBM)\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. In additional collaborative work, they examined the expression of m6A methylation\u0026ndash;related genes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), their prognostic relevance, and associations with immune infiltration, concluding that m6A methyltransferase\u0026ndash;related genes may serve as prognostic indicators linked to immune features in HNSCC\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR28 CR29 CR30\" citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegarding journals, each of the top 15 outlets has published more than six ALKBH5-and-cancer articles. Frontiers in Oncology ranks first (28 papers), followed by Molecular Cancer (16) and Clinical Cancer Research (10), while other journals in this group have each contributed fewer than 10 papers. Among the top 10 co-cited journals, highly cited sources include Nature and Molecular Cancer. The impact factors of these co-cited journals vary substantially, with Nature (IF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;48.5) and Science (IF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;45.8) among the highest. Studies on ALKBH5 in cancer are mainly disseminated through journals in molecular biology, immunology, pharmacology, oncology, and clinical medicine. This disciplinary spread highlights the broad interest the topic has attracted and suggests steady advances spanning foundational mechanisms and translational/clinical research.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKeyword analysis further clarifies thematic structure. \u0026ldquo;N6-methyladenosine\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;m6A modification\u0026rdquo; occupy central positions, confirming that this domain is anchored in epitranscriptomics. Burst keywords such as \u0026ldquo;colorectal cancer\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;ovarian cancer\u0026rdquo; suggest intensified attention to ALKBH5 functions in specific malignancies. Additional terms\u0026mdash;including \u0026ldquo;metabolism,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;tumor microenvironment,\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;immunity\u0026rdquo;\u0026mdash;indicate an expanding scope that increasingly links ALKBH5-mediated m6A editing to broader tumor physiology and anti-tumor immune responses. For example, colorectal cancer remains a globally prevalent malignancy with high incidence and mortality. In 2019, Liu X. et al. reported dysregulated expression of m6A-related genes in colorectal cancer, showing that multiple key genes, including ALKBH5, were downregulated and associated with prognosis, implicating these regulators in tumor progression\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. The presence of more than 40 related articles also suggests sustained interest in ALKBH5 across high-burden cancers. In parallel, immunotherapeutic strategies aimed at improving the TME have become a major focus in recent years\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR34 CR35 CR36\" citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. In 2020, Li N. et al. reported that inhibiting the RNA demethylase ALKBH5 could remodel the TME and enhance responsiveness to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB)\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. In 2021, Qiu X.Y. et al. examined the dual role of ALKBH5 in shaping the immune microenvironment of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), proposing a mechanism in which PD-L1 expression is regulated via mRNA epigenetic modification\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Collectively, these studies\u0026mdash;supported by more than 30 related publications\u0026mdash;have helped open new directions for future cancer therapy.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSeveral limitations should be acknowledged. First, the dataset was derived solely from WOS, which may omit relevant records indexed in other databases. Second, only English-language publications were included, introducing potential language bias. Third, incomplete records from 2025 were excluded to improve dataset consistency; however, this may reduce sensitivity for detecting the most recent trends, citation impact, and collaboration dynamics. Finally, study quality appraisal relied primarily on author-focused metrics, which imposes methodological constraints; future work would benefit from incorporating standardized quality assessment frameworks to enable more rigorous evaluation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFuture research should deepen mechanistic understanding of ALKBH5 in defined cancer contexts, particularly its crosstalk with the TME and immune system\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR41 CR42\" citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e. Translational efforts are also needed to develop and validate ALKBH5-targeting agents and to test efficacy in both preclinical models and clinical settings. In addition, identifying robust biomarkers based on ALKBH5 activity or m6A signatures may facilitate patient stratification and individualized treatment. Sustained international collaboration will be critical for converting mechanistic discoveries into clinically actionable strategies.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn summary, ALKBH5 research in cancer is a rapidly evolving, globally engaged field rooted in m6A biology. Its progression\u0026mdash;from a fundamental RNA modification regulator to a candidate therapeutic target\u0026mdash;highlights the broader promise of epitranscriptomics in oncology. Addressing current limitations while prioritizing translational development will be essential for realizing the clinical potential of ALKBH5-focused research and improving patient outcomes.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"5. Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eBased on 551 publications on ALKBH5 in cancer, this study used VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and SCImago Graphica to systematically map publication trends, collaboration networks, and the evolution of research hotspots. The results suggest that, as mechanistic understanding advances, increasing attention is being directed toward the roles of ALKBH5 in tumor progression and therapy resistance/drug resistance. Nevertheless, progress remains constrained by an uneven distribution of research resources, limited depth of international collaboration, and a relative shortage of rigorous mechanistic investigations. Overall, research on ALKBH5 in cancer is still at an early stage, and larger-scale, multicenter, mechanism-driven studies are needed to accelerate clinical translation.\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgments:\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors’ contributions:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLRF: Conceptualization, Software, Methodology, Investigation. CD: Formal analysis, Data curation. LF: \u0026nbsp;Supervision, Resources. HL: Project administration, Investigation. YZW: Project administration, Formal analysis.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDisclosure statement:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis work was supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Program (Grant No.2026092175).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClinical trial number:\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFang, S., Wang, R. \u0026amp; Chen, P. ALKBH5 enhances CX3CL1 RNA stability and governs macrophage polarization and bone integrity in glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis. \u003cem\u003eBiochemical pharmacology\u003c/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e243\u003c/strong\u003e, 117466, doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2025.117466 (2026).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eP\u0026aacute;dua, D., Mesquita, P. \u0026amp; Almeida, R. The Epitranscriptomic Landscape of Gastric Cancer Stem Cells: The Emerging Role of m(6)A RNA Modifications. \u003cem\u003eCancers\u003c/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e17\u003c/strong\u003e, doi:10.3390/cancers17213589 (2025).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdamopoulos, P. G., Athanasopoulou, K. \u0026amp; Scorilas, A. 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Unveiling novel therapeutic mechanisms of Xinfeng capsule: modulating the ALKBH5-m6A-LINC00968 axis to alleviate oxidative stress-driven NETosis in rheumatoid arthritis. \u003cem\u003eFrontiers in immunology\u003c/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e16\u003c/strong\u003e, 1707663, doi:10.3389/fimmu.2025.1707663 (2025).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"},{"header":"Tables","content":"\u003cp\u003eTable 1 is available in the Supplementary Files section.\u003c/p\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-oncology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"dion","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Oncology](https://www.springer.com/12672)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Oncology","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"ALKBH5, Cancer, Bibliometric analysis, Visualization","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8819432/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8819432/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eN6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification is a key epitranscriptomic regulator implicated in cancer progression. Although ALKBH5, an m6A demethylase, has been widely studied, a systematic overview of the global research landscape remains limited. Bibliometric analysis can help address this gap by visualizing publication patterns and research hotspots. This study aims to delineate the developmental trends of ALKBH5 research in oncology from 2016 to 2025.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eCancer-focused publications on ALKBH5 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection for the period 2016\u0026ndash;2025. Bibliometric and visualization analyses were conducted using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and SCImago Graphica.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom 2016 to 2025, 551 publications were identified, with most outputs originating from China and the United States. Co-citation analysis highlighted Chuan Chen as a highly influential author, and Frontiers in Oncology was the most productive journal. Keyword burst analysis indicated increasing attention to the tumor microenvironment, suggesting a growing focus on microenvironment- and immunity-related mechanisms. Overall, these findings support ALKBH5 as a promising candidate for future therapeutic development.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study summarizes publication trends and research frontiers in ALKBH5-related cancer research. The results provide a reference framework that may inform future mechanistic studies and clinical translation.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Mapping recent developments in ALKBH5-related cancer research: a bibliometric and visualization analysis","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-02-23 14:11:25","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8819432/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-03-09T08:52:38+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-02-28T22:47:54+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-02-23T00:32:25+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-02-21T06:40:45+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"182892762755058809216352104676606975777","date":"2026-02-18T22:09:35+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"227564192030734510101997374406810590642","date":"2026-02-18T20:46:58+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"41892493528885371134858799118188601694","date":"2026-02-18T20:11:10+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-02-18T20:02:36+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-02-16T16:44:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-02-11T10:14:11+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-02-11T10:10:58+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Discover Oncology","date":"2026-02-08T05:55:07+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-oncology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"dion","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Oncology](https://www.springer.com/12672)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Oncology","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"4550ebe3-89f2-4fa4-ba91-707a0e8574e3","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 23rd, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-27T05:39:34+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-23 14:11:25","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8819432","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8819432","identity":"rs-8819432","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}