A bibliometric and visualized in myeloid-derived suppressor cells and cancer research from 2014 to 2024

Background Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are heterogeneous immature myeloid cells linked to poor cancer prognosis, driving tumor metastasis, drug resistance, angiogenesis, and immunosuppression. While MDSC-targeted therapies advanced recently, bibliometric analysis of this field remains unexplored. This study maps research hotspots in MDSCs and tumors via bibliometrics. Methods Publications were collected of MDSCs and tumor from 2014 to 2024 by the Web of Science Core Collection database. Analyses employed Microsoft Excel, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and R’s “bibliometrix”. Results A total of 5,653 papers from 89 countries were included in the study, with an annual increase in publications observed over time. China (36.18%) and the United States (34.72%) have the highest proportion of publications. The United States also has the highest citation frequency (111,926 times), H-index (154) and total link strength (1133). The three primary research institutions are as follows: Yat-sen University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Fudan University. The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has been identified as the institution with the highest contribution of citations and average citation. Notably, four of the top ten published authors are from China. Umansky, Viktor, has been identified as the most prolific author, while Dmitry I. Gabrilovich had the highest impact (H-index/citations). Frontiers in Immunology published the most articles and the highest co-cited journal was Cancer Research . Keyword analysis identified emerging hotspots: expression , tumor microenvironment , and immunotherapy . Conclusions This first comprehensive bibliometric review delineates the MDSC-tumor research landscape, highlighting MDSC detection and MDSC-targeted immunotherapies as pivotal strategies for clinical translation.