Building bridges to immunotherapy: a knowledge-mapping analysis of cervical cancer organoid research
TL;DR
The analysis suggests the role of organoids as a crucial bridge linking basic virology to clinical immuno-oncology, highlighting that current advancements in tumor microenvironment modeling are establishing the necessary foundation for future immunotherapeutic applications.
Abstract
Cervical cancer, a human papillomavirus (HPV) -driven malignancy with inherent viral antigenicity, serves as a key model in immuno-oncology. Yet, the variable efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors highlights a critical gap: the lack of preclinical models that accurately mirror the patient-specific tumor microenvironment (TME). Patient-derived organoids (PDOs) offer a transformative solution, preserving autologous tumor and immune components for personalized therapeutic testing. This study provides the first bibliometric analysis of this evolving field, mapping its knowledge structure from model development to immuno-oncological application. By analyzing 130 publications (1992-2025) from Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus using VOSviewer and CiteSpace, we delineate a clear, three-stage evolution: from foundational HPV virology and culture techniques, through pivotal organoid methodology establishment (e.g., Burk RD, 2017), to the current translational phase. This progression is marked by citation bursts in TME modeling (e.g., Lohmussaar K, 2021) and the emergence of keywords like “drug screening” and “immunotherapy”. Research is dominated by the U.S., China, and European nations, published within an interdisciplinary core of oncology, immunology, and virology journals. Our analysis highlights the role of organoids as a crucial bridge linking basic virology to clinical immuno-oncology. However, standardization hurdles and suboptimal establishment rates for certain subtypes impede clinical translation. To realize the full potential of PDOs, future work must prioritize standardized immune-competent co-culture systems, integrate AI for high-content data analysis, and promote equitable global collaborations. Our analysis suggests the role of organoids as a crucial bridge linking basic virology to clinical immuno-oncology, highlighting that current advancements in tumor microenvironment modeling are establishing the necessary foundation for future immunotherapeutic applications.