Bibliometric analysis of global research activity and emerging trends in radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer

Radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RAIR-DTC) remains a critical challenge and focal point in thyroid cancer management, garnering increasing attention and discourse among both the public and scientific community in recent years. To date, however, no comprehensive systematic evaluation of the literature has been conducted. Herein, we performed a bibliometric and knowledge mapping analysis to quantitatively decode 16 years of global research evolution and link bibliometric trends to landmark clinical trials, molecular breakthroughs and updated clinical guidelines in the RAIR-DTC field. Relevant publications on RAIR-DTC were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Subsequent analyses of publication metrics, including output volume, contributing countries/regions, institutions, journals, authors, references, and keywords, were conducted using the bibliometrix package in R, alongside VOSviewer and CiteSpace. Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) was introduced as a normalized bibliometric indicator to eliminate citation bias caused by publication year, research discipline and document type, and to objectively evaluate the academic influence of landmark publications. We synthesized the current state of research, global trends, and emerging hotspots in the field. Distinct from purely descriptive statistical reports, all quantitative results in this work are interpreted from clinical oncology perspectives to clarify the translational significance behind each bibliometric indicator. This bibliometric analysis spanned January 1, 2009, to June 20, 2025, encompassing 1207 papers published across 388 academic journals by 6598 authors from 1814 institutions in 59 countries/regions. Notably, both publication output and citation counts related to RAIR-DTC treatment have exhibited a steady upward trend over the past decade. The top 20 high-impact publications were ranked by FWCI in descending order, with the highest FWCI value reaching 8.40; landmark clinical guidelines and targeted therapy trials showed significantly higher FWCI values than general review articles. In terms of publication volume, China, the United States, and Italy emerged as the top three countries. Among the top 10 institutions with the highest publication output, half were based in the United States, with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center leading in relevant research output. Thyroid ranked first in both total publications and cumulative citations. The most prolific researcher was Professor Martin Schlumberger from Paris-Saclay University. Prominent keywords included lenvatinib, management, double-blind trial, gene expression, sorafenib, and related terms. Immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and double-blind trials emerged as key research hotspots and evolving trends with selective RET/NTRK inhibitors, BRAF redifferentiation therapy and theranostics as three newly emerging frontier themes in the past three years. In summary, this study delineates RAIR-DTC research trends and hotspots through comprehensive, quantitative bibliometric analysis of a large publication dataset. By introducing the FWCI normalized impact indicator, this study objectively evaluates landmark research, systematically analyzes the clinical driving factors behind 16 years of RAIR-DTC research evolution, and sorts out high-priority precision oncology research directions for subsequent exploration. Rather than a simple literature statistics summary, this paper further excavates clinical and translational factors driving field development and sorts high-priority precision oncology directions for subsequent exploration. It provides valuable insights into the historical development and current status of RAIR-DTC research, aiding researchers in identifying promising directions for future investigation.