Prostate cancer research in India: A scientometric analysis of publications output during 2004-13

Abstract

This review article examines 1,368 publications on prostate cancer in India, as covered in Scopus database during 2004-13, experiencing an annual average growth rate of 18.77% and citation impact of 5.23. The world prostate cancer output (89,994 publications) came from several countries, of which the top 15 (United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Italy, Japan, and China) accounts for 94.80% share of the global output during 2004-13. India’s global publication share was 1.52% and hold 14^th rank in global publication output during 2004-13. The Indian prostate cancer output came from several organizations and authors, of which the top 20 and 19 contributed 41.81% and 24.05% share, respectively, during 2004-13. India’s international collaborative share in prostate cancer was 23.39%, which decreased from 24.42% to 22.98% from 2004-08 to 2009-13. Medicine accounted for the largest share (59.50%) of output in prostate cancer followed by biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology (40.13%), pharmacology, toxicology & pharmaceutics (27.63%), chemistry (8.55%), agricultural and biological sciences (4.31% share), and immunology and microbiology (2.70% share) during 2004-13. Diagnosis, screening, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, pathology and prognosis together account for 60.24% publications share among treatments methods used in Indian prostate cancer research during 2004-13. Only Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu together contributed 57.82% share in Indian publications output in prostate cancer during 2004-13. The authors stressed the need for developing national policy for prostate cancer which should take care of screening for detection and diagnosis, management and treatment options of the prostate cancer patients in India.