Presentation of Chemotherapy Options in Cachexia in the Literature: A Scientometric Evaluation

Background: Cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome characterized by weight loss, muscle wasting, and symptoms such as fatigue and anorexia. The primary aim of this study was to quantitatively and qualitatively examine the research trends and hotspots on chemotherapy options in cachexia. Methods: : A scientometric analysis was carried out according to the Science Citation Index-Expended database in the Web of Science. By utilizing bibliometric software, the performance of the total articles was covered from records, authors and affiliations, journals and research categories, to burst references, citation relationship network, and the keywords co-occurrence overlay visualization. Results: : A total of 1,111 articles were retrieved. The United States occupied the top position both on the total outputs and the cooperation with other countries. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle had the highest impact factor and the most publications. Eight main groups were clustered by the similarity of the research topic. Ongoing weight loss has been the main bottleneck either in mechanistic research or therapeutic trials. In addition to nutritional supplements, the major options for pharmacological therapy were progestational agents, such as megestrol acetate and corticosteroids. ‘Computed tomography’ and strategies dealing with ‘skeletal muscle mass’, ‘muscle mass’, ‘sarcopenia’ and ‘muscle atrophy’ might be the breakthrough for the future diagnosis and treatment of cachexia. Conclusions: : We considered the publication information by summarizing the literature on the pharmacological treatment of cachexia. In summary, this study provides novel and useful data for related scientific research and will help researchers explore cachexia chemotherapy options more intuitively and effectively.