Chen QZ, Chi X, Pan JH, Cheng QZ, Guo YJ, Liu YX, Yu L, Feng WK. Integrating traditional Chinese medicine with pancreatic cancer organoids: Bibliometric insights and translational perspectives. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2026; 18(10): 123966 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.123966]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Wei-Ke Feng, Associate Professor, College of Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 4655 University Road, Changqing District University Science and Technology Park, Jinan 250355, Shandong Province, China. fengweike315@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
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research-article
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Chen QZ, Chi X, Pan JH, Cheng QZ, Guo YJ, Liu YX, Yu L, Feng WK. Integrating traditional Chinese medicine with pancreatic cancer organoids: Bibliometric insights and translational perspectives. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2026; 18(10): 123966 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.123966]
Qing-Ze Chen, Xiang Chi, Qi-Zhi Cheng, Yi-Jun Guo, Yi-Xuan Liu, Lu Yu, College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, Shandong Province, China
Jia-Hao Pan, International College of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250002, Shandong Province, China
Wei-Ke Feng, College of Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Chen QZ initiated the study, wrote the original manuscript and completed visualization and validation; Chen QZ and Chi X conceived this study; Pan JH obtained and analyzed the data; Cheng QZ and Guo YJ completed software acquisition and literature retrieval; Liu YX and Yu L were responsible for the entire research process management; Feng WK reviewed and edited the manuscript and secured funding; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
AI contribution statement: The authors declare that no AI tools were used in the development or writing of this manuscript and take full responsibility for its integrity, accuracy, and originality.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Corresponding author: Wei-Ke Feng, Associate Professor, College of Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 4655 University Road, Changqing District University Science and Technology Park, Jinan 250355, Shandong Province, China. fengweike315@163.com
Received: June 2, 2026 Revised: July 7, 2026 Accepted: July 27, 2026 Published online: October 15, 2026 Processing time: 110 Days and 10 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a highly lethal malignancy with a 5-year overall survival of approximately 12%. While patient-derived organoids have emerged as a predictive three-dimensional preclinical platform, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and natural compounds have concurrently demonstrated significant multitarget anticancer effects against PDAC.
AIM
To systematically characterize the knowledge architecture of pancreatic cancer organoids and TCM through bibliometric analysis, and identify potential structural gaps at their intersection.
METHODS
A comprehensive bibliometric analysis was conducted on 1066 original research and review articles retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection spanning from January 2001 to May 2026. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were utilized to map global collaboration networks, institutional authorship, keyword co-occurrence, and citation ecosystems.
RESULTS
The global literature on PDAC organoids has shown sustained exponential growth, encompassing contributions from 58 countries led by the United States, China, and Germany. Bibliographic coupling and burst detection identified drug screening and drug resistance as the most intensely active current research frontiers. However, TCM and natural compounds were entirely absent across all six analytical dimensions examined. No TCM-affiliated institutions, authors, journals, or relevant keywords appeared within the collaborative or thematic networks of the PDAC organoid literature.
CONCLUSION
Multidimensional absence reveals a low correlation between pancreatic cancer organoid technology and research in TCM. Utilizing organoid platforms to evaluate the multitarget pharmacology of TCM represents a underdeveloped translational research direction in precision oncology.
Core Tip: Pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat. Recently, scientists have started using organoids as a tool for testing new cancer drugs. Natural compounds from traditional Chinese medicine show potential because they can attack cancer cells in multiple ways. We analyzed > 1000 scientific papers to determine if researchers are using these advanced three-dimensional models to test traditional medicines. There was little research combining these two promising fields. By revealing this gap, we aim to encourage the scientific community to use patient-specific tumor models to evaluate natural medicines. This integration could accelerate the discovery of new, personalized treatments for pancreatic cancer, bridging the gap between natural remedies and modern precision medicine.
