The evolution of antigen specific cancer immunotherapy from adoptive cell therapy to personalized cancer vaccines
TL;DR
Bibliometric analysis showed that annual publication output in this field has remained relatively stable over the past six years, with approximately 170 publications per year and a peak of 188 publications in 2021, indicating a gradual shift from broadly enhancing immune activation toward precise tumor antigen identification and optimization of antigen-driven immune responses.
Abstract
This study systematically analyzed the literature on tumor antigen-based cancer immunotherapy by integrating quantitative bibliometric analysis with knowledge network visualization. It aimed to provide an overview of the developmental trajectory of this field, identify major research hotspots and key scientific challenges, and explore the underlying drivers of its evolution, thereby providing references for future antigen-targeted immunotherapy strategies and clinical translation. Literature related to tumor antigen-based cancer immunotherapy was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection, covering the period from September 15, 2005, to September 15, 2025. A total of 2,801 research articles were included. Bibliometric data were statistically analyzed using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, Charticulator, Scimago Graphica, and Bibliometrix, and visual scientific network maps were generated. Bibliometric analysis showed that annual publication output in this field has remained relatively stable over the past six years, with approximately 170 publications per year and a peak of 188 publications in 2021. Regarding national contributions, the United States ranked first in publication output (1,282 publications), total citations (83,431 citations), and network centrality (0.46). Although China showed rapid growth in publication output and ranked second globally, its overall citation impact remained lower than that of several Western countries. In terms of academic influence, researchers such as Jeffrey Schlom from the National Cancer Institute and Chien-Fu Hung from Johns Hopkins University have maintained important positions through long-term research on tumor antigen recognition, immune regulation, and vaccine development. Temporal keyword analysis revealed an evolutionary transition from early adoptive immunotherapy-related studies, represented by terms such as “transfer therapy” and “adoptive immunotherapy”, to immune checkpoint regulatory strategies involving “nivolumab” and “immune checkpoint blockade”, and subsequently to emerging tumor antigen vaccine approaches characterized by “nanovaccine” and “mRNA vaccine”. Co-citation analysis further supported this evolutionary trajectory, indicating a gradual shift from broadly enhancing immune activation toward precise tumor antigen identification and optimization of antigen-driven immune responses. Over the past two decades, tumor antigen-based cancer immunotherapy has evolved from adoptive immune cell therapy and immune checkpoint regulation to personalized neoantigen vaccine strategies, forming a multi-level therapeutic framework involving antigen recognition, immune activation, and targeted delivery. Future advances in antigen prediction, sequencing technologies, mRNA vaccine platforms, and immune regulatory strategies may further promote the development of more precise, effective, and personalized cancer immunotherapies.