Tracing the Maturation and Evolution of Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

Background: The transformation of epithelial cells to migratory mesenchymal cells capable of forming secondary tumors in the body which is also known as the Epithelial- Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is a biological phenomenon that plays a critical role in various contexts, including cancer metastasis, wound healing, and embryogenesis. Cancer metastasis is known as an important contributing factor to cancer-related morbidity, which itself is the second leading cause of death globally. Consequently understanding the dynamics of EMT is of critical importance. Although interest in EMT has grown significantly in recent years, there has been little effort to systematically examine how research in this area has evolved. Here, we investigate the EMT research literature to identify key trends, influential studies, and underexplored areas within this field. Methods: This study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of EMT research. We compile over 50,000 EMT-related publications from the Web of Science (WoS) and pinpoint underexplored areas of research in the field, as well as countryspecific biases in EMT-related work. We use Surprisal analysis to understand the temporal patterns and evolution of different research categories within the EMT field. We analyze keywords and identify recent keyword bursts that may potentially shape the future of EMT research. We then utilize multi-criteria decision analysis to determine the most influential authors in the field based on citation counts, research article numbers, and H-index. Results: Results reveal a growing trend for EMT research in the WoS categories of “immunology” and “endocrinology & metabolism”. In contrast, there is a maturation and decline in the number of research articles in the fields of “oncology”, “cell biology”, and “biochemistry & molecular biology”. When analyzing the number of publications associated with specific types of cancer, we discovered that some cancer types, such as gastric and pancreatic cancers, are extensively studied, while other common cancers such as prostate and liver remain understudied. This disparity suggests a significant imbalance in research focus, which may limit advancements in understanding and treating certain cancer types despite their significant clinical challenges and mortality rates. Additionally, our analysis revealed that although China and the USA lead in publication output and citations, the higher number of publications from China does not translate into a proportionally higher citation impact; the citation counts are similar to those of the US. This indicates that while China contributes significantly to EMT research volume, the influence and recognition of these studies may lag behind those from the USA. The analysis also identified important studies and authors that have shaped the field, with Robert Weinberg, Douglas Hanahan, Angela Nieto, Jing Yang, and Alain Puisieux identified as the most influential researchers based on their number of citations, publication counts, and H-Index. Lastly, our study highlights shifts in thematic focus over time through the identification of keyword bursts that demonstrate a growing interest in “cancer-associated fibroblasts”. Conclusion: We present the first systematic, data-driven bibliometric analysis of EMT research. Our findings reveal key publication trends, influential studies, and notable geographic disparities in research output. This analysis highlights emerging thematic directions and identifies under explored areas within the EMT field, offering a structured roadmap to inform and guide future investigations.