Publication trends and knowledge structure of prostate-specific membrane antigen radioligand therapy for prostate cancer: a bibliometric analysis, 2015-2025.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize publication growth, modality trends, and thematic evolution in prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radioligand therapy (RLT) for prostate cancer from 2015 to 2025, emphasizing beta-emitting RLT, targeted alpha therapy, and dosimetry-related terminology.

METHODS

The Web of Science Core Collection was searched using a prespecified topic strategy. A fixed bibliographic snapshot was exported on 1 January 2026, covering records through 31 December 2025. English-language articles and reviews were included. After screening and postexport cleaning, 908 publications underwent bibliometric analysis using bibliometrix, keyword mapping, and reference co-citation analysis. Therapeutic modality was assigned by deterministic text mining of titles, abstracts, and keywords with a prespecified alpha-priority rule; dual-label analyses assessed alpha/beta co-mentioning. Dosimetry-related terminology was identified using prespecified dictionaries. Two reviewers independently assessed modality in a random sample of 200 records.

RESULTS

Annual output increased from four publications in 2015 to 199 in 2025, although 2025 counts should be interpreted cautiously because of possible indexing delay. Under the primary classification, beta-emitting RLT predominated (698/908, 76.9%), whereas alpha-therapy-related publications accounted for 193/908 (21.3%). Under dual labeling, 149/908 publications (16.4%) co-mentioned alpha- and beta-based approaches. Dosimetry-related terminology increased over time and stabilized at approximately one-third of annual output after 2020. Inter-reviewer agreement was nearly perfect (kappa, 0.947-0.949).

CONCLUSION

The PSMA RLT literature expanded rapidly and remained dominated by beta-emitting therapy, with increasing alpha-therapy activity and broader incorporation of dosimetry-related terminology. These bibliometric findings characterize publication-level trajectories in PSMA RLT research and suggest priorities for standardized reporting, scalable dosimetry, and prospective treatment-optimization studies.