Tracing the evolving dynamics and research hotspots in the kidney neoplasm and nephron sparing surgery field from the past to the new era.

backgroundWith increasing detection of small renal masses and accumulating evidence that nephron sparing surgery (NSS) could achieve oncological equivalence and functional superiority compared with radical nephrectomy (RN), NSS has become first-line therapy for some patients with localized renal masses.

objectiveThis study aims to review the publications in the kidney neoplasm and NSS field, exploring the research hotspots.

methodKidney neoplasm and NSS related publications before July 3th 2023 were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection database. We then used bibliometric analysis to conduct performance analysis, citation analysis and co-citation network of publications, together with keyword co-occurrence analysis.

resultsSeven thousand five hundred and sixty-four documents were finally retrieved, and the annual publications increased exponentially. The most productive authors were "KAOUK JH" and "GILL IS", while USA, and 12 American affiliations such as CLEVELAND CLINIC FOUNDATION and MAYO CLINIC were far leading in this field. Journal of Urology and European Urology were journals with the highest citations and h-index. DISCUSSION: Through literature reviewing plus co-occurrence and clustering analysis, the therapeutic effects of partial nephrectomy (PN) versus RN on patients with localized renal cell carcinoma, different operative approaches of PN, and conservative NSS methods were deemed as the most focused topics.

conclusionThree aspects were the most important hotspots in this field. Firstly, how to provide the optimal management choices for different patients. Secondly, therapeutic effects of different management options and surgical techniques needed more prospective and randomized studies. Finally, more novel technologies and surgical techniques were required.