Mapping the literature on breast cancer and spirituality: emerging trends and thematic evolution in a 25-year bibliometric analysis.

PURPOSE: The absence of a comprehensive bibliometric mapping study addressing breast cancer and spirituality in the literature constitutes a significant gap. Therefore, this study aims to examine research on spirituality in breast cancer from a bibliometric perspective, identify current research trends, illustrate the conceptual evolution of the field, and provide a guiding framework for future research.

METHODS

This retrospective bibliometric study analyzed publications on breast cancer and spirituality indexed in the Scopus database between 2000 and August 2025. Bibliometric analyses were conducted using the Bibliometrix package in R and VOSviewer to examine publication trends, citation patterns, collaboration networks, and thematic evolution across 470 eligible articles.

RESULTS

The United States emerged as the leading contributor in terms of research productivity and citation impact, while countries such as Brazil and Portugal demonstrated notable roles within international collaboration networks. Psycho-Oncology was identified as the most influential journal in this research area, followed by Supportive Care in Cancer. The University of California system was the most prolific institution, and Gall TL was identified as the most prominent author in the field. Thematic analyses revealed a clear progression from early conceptual explorations toward more practice-oriented topics, including spiritual care, spiritual well-being, coping strategies, resilience, quality of life, and the expanding role of nursing and oncology nursing. Recent trends also indicate increasing attention to family caregivers and unmet spiritual needs.

CONCLUSION

This study provides valuable guidance for researchers, academics, and clinical healthcare professionals seeking to strengthen evidence-based spiritual care in oncology settings. The literature on breast cancer and spirituality has expanded substantially over the past 25 years, with a clear shift toward applied and intervention-focused research relevant to clinical practice. Nevertheless, geographic disparities and limited representation from under-resourced regions remain evident. Future research should prioritize inclusive, interdisciplinary, and methodologically rigorous approaches to facilitate the integration of spiritual care into routine clinical practice and to advance holistic, patient-centered breast cancer care.