Bibliometric Analysis of Research Trajectories and Emerging Foci at the Intersection of Ovarian Cancer and Depression

Abstract

Background: There is a growing body of research on ovarian cancer and depression. This study employs bibliometric analysis to examine the current state and emerging trends in research on ovarian cancer and depression, providing a reference for future investigations in this field. Methods: Articles on ovarian cancer and depression published between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2024, were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Following rigorous screening, VOSviewer and CiteSpace were employed to conduct quantitative analysis, collaboration network mapping, clustering, and citation burst analysis. Results: The number of publications addressing ovarian cancer and depression has increased annually. The United States leads in both publication volume and citation frequency, and demonstrates the highest level of international collaboration. The University of California, Los Angeles, ranks first among institutions in terms of both publication output and citations, as well as institutional collaboration. Anil K. Sood is the most prolific and highly cited author in this field. Gynecologic Oncology is the journal with the highest number of publications and citations, while Cancer Medicine has recently published a substantial number of articles. The most cited article is “The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale” by A. S. Zigmond et al., published in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica in 1983. The twenty most frequently occurring keywords include ovarian cancer, quality of life, depression, women, breast cancer, anxiety, risk, prevalence, impact, psychological distress, survivor, distress, health, symptom, hospital anxiety, social support, chemotherapy, association, expression, and hereditary breast. “Risk reduction” has emerged as a cutting-edge and widely discussed topic in the intersection of ovarian cancer and depression, while the keyword “mental health” is currently experiencing a citation surge. Conclusion: This study employs bibliometric analysis to elucidate publication trends, collaborative networks among countries, institutions, and authors, as well as emerging research hotspots in the field of ovarian cancer and depression. By providing objective data, it offers valuable reference points for ongoing scientific inquiry in this domain.