To evaluate the temporal and spatial distribution of the knowledge network about tumor microenvironment and prognoses and explore new research hot spots and trends. Articles and reviews on tumor microenvironment and prognoses in the Web of Science journal from January 1999 to April 2022 were included. We used the CiteSpace and VOSviewer software to analyze the knowledge network composed of journals, institutions, countries, authors, and keywords. Frontiers in Immunology, Cancers, and Frontiers in Oncology have published more than 10% of articles in this field. China and the United States have contributed the most articles. Fudan University and Sun Yat-Sen University are the most active institutions. The authors in this field work closely; Zhang Wei and Douglas have made outstanding contributions. The three main research areas of tumor microenvironment and prognoses are microenvironment, prognosis, and immunotherapy. Until 2020, the main keywords were endothelial growth factor and adhesion. In the past three years, survival analysis, immune cell infiltration, and prediction model have been used. It can be seen that the focus in this field has shifted from tumor cell behavior and directly related molecules to prognosis prediction and non-tumor cells in the microenvironment. The future research trend may be to study the changes in the tumor microenvironment to predict the prognosis and guide the treatment. VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Microsoft Excel 2019 were used to conduct a comprehensive visual analysis of the research on tumor environment and prognoses and provide valuable reference materials for researchers.
Keywords: Immune cell; cancer therapy; immune checkpoint; prognoses; tumor microenvironment.