Evolution of Research on Cell-Specific Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Bibliometric Study

Abstract

Context: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a central role in diagnosis, staging, and treatment monitoring; cell-specific contrast agents can integrate anatomical, functional, and molecular information. This bibliometric analysis investigated research trends related to contrast-enhanced MRI and cell-specific MRI contrast agents in HCC. Evidence Acquisition: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection to retrieve publications from 2015 to 2025. VOSviewer was used for co-authorship and keyword co-occurrence analyses. Bibliometrix was used to assess publication and citation counts, keyword frequency, and international collaboration. CiteSpace was used to identify citation bursts in keywords and cited references and to generate keyword clusters and thematic maps. Results: From 2015 to 2025, 4515 publications on cell-specific MRI contrast agents in HCC were identified across 131 sources. Annual publication volume decreased by 1.75% over this period, whereas the mean citation rate remained at 16.66 citations per document. A total of 19086 authors contributed to this literature, with 12.65% of studies involving international co-authorship and an average of 10.6 authors per paper. Keyword and cluster analyses indicated that research predominantly focused on clinical endpoints, such as prognosis, resection, recurrence, and liver function assessment, whereas molecular and immunologic topics were less frequent. Conclusions: Research on cell-specific MRI contrast agents in HCC is well established clinically. Further progress will require standardized quantitative MRI protocols and the incorporation of molecular and immunologic correlations. MRI should be integrated into treatment pathways that combine imaging findings with molecular and immunologic data to support patient selection and monitor treatment response in HCC.