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18 August 2025
Early Access
https://doi.org/10.4081/dr.2025.10435

A bibliometric study of the top 100 most cited articles on melanoma: insights into research trends and characteristics

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Bibliometrics, immunotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, melanoma, research characteristics
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Authors

Jinhao Zhang
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China.
Xiangze Meng
1158587927@qq.com
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China.
Yun Wang
Department of Dermatology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China.
Wei Liu
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China.

Improving insights into the current research and literature on melanoma is useful for healthcare providers to apply the latest advancements for offering better care to patients. Herein, this bibliometric study analyzed the characteristics and trends in melanoma research through the top-cited articles. The top 100 most cited articles on melanoma were published between 1969 and 2020, and the average number of citations was 36.8-893.9 (mean 176.8). Notably, the frequencies of the main key words, including antineoplastic agents, genetics, randomized controlled trials, metastatic melanoma, BRAF, and monoclonal antibodies, during 2010-2020 were significantly higher than those during 1969-2009. Specifically, the main study topics after 2010 were drug research aspects, such as drug safety, drug efficacy, drug resistance, drug withdrawal, cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), programmed cell death 1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1), ipilimumab, nivolumab, trametinib, dabrafenib, vemurafenib, and various drug adverse effects. The emergence of immunotherapy caused a burst of citations and substantially changed the distribution of the top-cited articles.

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Jinhao Zhang, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, China.

Xiangze Meng, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, China.

Wei Liu, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Center for Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, China.

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A bibliometric study of the top 100 most cited articles on melanoma: insights into research trends and characteristics. (2025). Dermatology Reports. https://doi.org/10.4081/dr.2025.10435
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