General practice-based cancer research publications: a bibliometric analysis 2013-2019

Abstract

Background: General practice plays a critical role in the prevention, diagnosis, management, and survivorship care of patients with cancer. Mapping research outputs over time provides valuable insights into the evolving role of general practice in cancer care.

Aim: To describe and compare the distribution of cancer in general practice research publications by country, cancer type, area of the cancer continuum, author sex, and journal impact factor.

Design and setting: A bibliometric analysis using a systematic approach to identify publications.

Method: MEDLINE and Embase databases were searched for studies published between 2013 and 2019, which reported on cancer in general practice. Included studies were mapped to the cancer continuum framework. Descriptive statistics were used to present data from the included studies.

Results: A total of 2798 publications were included from 714 journals, spanning 79 countries. The publication rate remained stable over this period. Overall, the US produced the most publications (n = 886, 31.7%), although, per general population capita, Denmark produced nearly 10 times more publications than the US (20.0 publications per million compared with 2.7 publications per million). Research across the cancer continuum varied by country, but, overall, most studies focused on cancer screening, diagnosis, and survivorship. More than half of included studies used observational study designs (n = 1523, 54.4%). Females made up 66.5% (n = 1304) of first authors, but only 47.0% (n = 927) of last authors.

Conclusion: Cancer in general practice is a stable field where research is predominantly observational. There is geographical variation in the focus of cancer in general practice research, which may reflect different priorities and levels of investment between countries. Overall, these results support future consideration of how to improve under-represented research areas and the design, conduct, and translation of interventional research.

Keywords: bibliometrics; cancer; general practice; primary health care.