Bibliometric and visual analysis of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in cancer research (2000–2025)

Abstract

Objective Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have received considerable attention as potential adjunctive agents in antitumor therapy. However, systematic bibliometric analyses of this research area remain limited. This study aims to systematically examine research trends, knowledge hotspots, and emerging themes related to omega-3 PUFAs in oncology from 2000 to 2025, with the goal of providing valuable insights for future investigations. Methods Records related to omega-3 PUFAs and oncology published between 2000 and 2025 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus. Bibliometric mapping was performed using R/bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace. In addition, clinical trial records from PubMed were screened to summarize clinical progress in this field. Results A total of 2,917 publications from the Web of Science and 7,380 publications from Scopus were analyzed. From 2000 to 2025, the annual number of publications in this field increased gradually, then reached a plateau, followed by a slight decline. The United States was the leading contributor in terms of publication output (n = 819), followed by China (n = 391) and Italy (n = 171). The United States also demonstrated a broader international collaboration network. Nutrients published the largest number of articles (n = 98, IF = 5.0), whereas the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition received the highest number of citations (n = 5,299, IF = 6.9). Major research themes included “inflammation,” “breast cancer,” “risk,” “colorectal cancer,” and “expression.” Antitumor mechanisms represented the dominant research focus. Another major theme involved associations among dietary omega-3 PUFAs intake, biomarker status, and cancer risk or progression. Furthermore, the application of omega-3 PUFAs in clinical antitumor therapy has emerged as a prominent research trend. Clinical trials in this field have primarily focused on antitumor applications and have shown a tendency toward combined treatment strategies. Conclusion Research on omega-3 PUFAs in oncology is progressively shifting from mechanistic exploration toward clinically oriented and translational applications. Emerging trends emphasize the integration of molecular mechanisms, objective exposure biomarkers, and clinical intervention strategies within a precision-oriented nutritional oncology framework. Future studies should focus on standardized exposure assessment, dose–response modeling, patient stratification, and clinically meaningful endpoints to better define target populations, optimal formulations and dosages, and appropriate intervention windows.