Collaborative networks and thematic trends of research on the application of complementary and alternative medicine in cancer patients: A bibliometric analysis

Background: and purpose: Complementary and Alternative Medicine(CAM) has been greatly used in cancer patients. This research aimed to explore the research priorities of CAM for cancer patient's treatment. Methods: Web of Science(WoS), HistCite, BibExcel, GunnMap and VOSviewer were used to extract and visualize information. Results: 2768 articles published in 789 journals were indexed in the WoS from 1989 to 2018. The USA(n = 1009) and Technion-Israel Institute Technology(n = 58) were the most prolific country and institution, respectively. Keywords co-occurrence analysis indicated that the research hotspots around the world formed five clusters, so did the author co-citation analysis. The research priorities of the top-five countries, the top-three prolific authors and the co-citation core authors were also discussed, which reveals the differences and similarities among them. Conclusion: This study delineates a framework for better understanding the situational use of CAM in cancer patients, which could help health care workers to prioritize and organize future research.