Research hotspots and trends in the application of Chinese herbal medicine for cancer pain management: a bibliometric study

BACKGROUND: Chinese herbal medicine has been increasingly used as a complementary approach for cancer pain management. However, the global research landscape, collaboration patterns, and emerging trends in this field have not been systematically characterized. METHODS: Publications related to Chinese herbal medicine for cancer pain management were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases. Bibliometric analyses were conducted using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Bibliometrix to evaluate publication trends, country and institutional collaborations, author networks, co-citation relationships, and keyword co-occurrence patterns. RESULTS: Research output increased steadily over time, with China leading in publication volume and the United States demonstrating strong international collaboration. Highly cited publications formed the intellectual foundation of complementary pain management and evidence-based integrative oncology research. Keyword analysis identified major research themes in cancer pain management, quality of life, integrative oncology, and evidence-based medicine, while "network pharmacology," "mechanism," and "meta-analysis" emerged as recent research hotspots. CONCLUSION: This bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the knowledge structure, research hotspots, and development trends in Chinese herbal medicine for cancer pain management. The findings highlight the intellectual foundation and emerging themes of this research field, and may provide useful insights to guide future evidence-based and collaborative research in integrative oncology.