Cervical Cancer in India: a Scientometric Study of Publications, 2003-2012
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Review Article Cervical cancer in India: A scientometric study of publications, 2003-2012 The paper examines 1141 Indian papers in cervical cancer, as covered in Scopus database during 2003-2012, experiencing an annual average growth rate of 13.05% and citation impact of 5.04. The world cervical cancer output (28,174 papers) came from several countries, of which the top 10 (United States, China, Abstract UK, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, India, etc.) accounts for 75.59% share of the global output during 2003-2012. In terms of relative citation index (RCI), only five countries registered the value above 1: The Netherlands (1.37), France (1.20), Spain (1.14), Brazil (1.09) and Australia (1.03). India’s global publication share and global publication rank was 4.05% and 8th during 2003-2012. India’s accounts for 1.83% citation share and 14th rank in global citations output. Its average citation per paper and RCI was 5.04 and 0.45 and hold 13th rank among top 15 countries in both of them. The Indian cervical cancer output came from several organizations and authors, of which the top 14 contributed 53.99% and 22.17% share, respectively during 2003-2012. India’s international collaborative share in cervical cancer was 12.74%, which decreased from 13.96% during 2003-2007 to 12.12% during 2008-2012. Medicine accounted for the largest share (83.17%) of output in mouth cancer, followed by biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology (31.90%), pharmacology, toxicology and pharmaceutics (4.29%) and immunology and microbiology (3.59%) during 2003-2012. Radiotherapy and screening (with 18.05% share each), followed by diagnosis (16.74%), genetics (10.96%), prognosis (10.34%), chemotherapy (10.25%) account for major publications share among treatments methods used in Indian cervical cancer output during 2003-2012. Delhi Ritu Gupta, B. M. Gupta1, (with 21.21% share) contributed the largest share (21.21%) among Indian states M. Ahmed2, Rishi Tiwari3 and union territories to Indian papers in cervical cancer, followed by Maharashtra (18.05%), Uttar Pradesh (13.32%), Karnataka (11.57%), Tamil Nadu (9.90%), West Department of Library and Bengal (9.47%), Chandigarh (7.36%) etc., during 2003-2012. The medical colleges Information Science, Sri contributed the highest publications share (27.34%) to Indian publications in cervical Venkateshwar University, Meerut, 3Birla Institute of Management and cancer during 2003-2012, followed by research institutes (24.36%), institutes of Technology, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, national importance (20.25%), hospitals (14.29%), universities (13.15% and others 1Panchkula, Haryana, (2.19%), etc., during 2003-2012 2Bengaluru, Karnataka, India Key words: Bibliometrics, cervical cancer, India, publications, scientometrics Address for the Correspondence: Dr. B. M. Gupta, 1173 Sector 15, Panchkula - 134 113, INTRODUCTION Haryana, India. E-mail: [email protected] Cancer is a group of many related diseases. All cancers begin in cells, the body’s basic building blocks. Normally, cells grow and multiply in an orderly way. However, damaged genes can cause them to Access this article online behave abnormally. They may grow into a lump called a tumour, which may be benign (not cancer) Website: www.oghr.org or malignant (cancer). Polyps, cysts, and genital warts are types of benign growths on the cervix. A malignant tumour is made up of cancer cells, which if are not treated may spread beyond their DOI: :10.4103/2348-3113.141576 normal boundaries and into surrounding tissues by metastasis, becoming invasive cancer. There are Quick response code: five main types of gynecologic cancers that affect women reproductive organs: cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginat and vulvar. Cervical cancer (or cancer of the cervix) arises from the tissues of the cervix, which is the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina. The functions of the cervix include: (i) Producing some of the moistness that lubricates the vagina, (ii) producing the mucus that helps sperm travel up to the fallopian tube to fertilize an egg from the ovary and (iii) holding a developing baby in the uterus during pregnancy. During childbirth, the cervix widens to allow the baby to pass down into the birth canal (vagina).[1] Oncology, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Reports| Supplement 1 | 2014 S4 S5 Oncology, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Reports| Supplement 1 | 2014 Gupta, et al.: Cervical cancer publications in India The endocervix (the upper part which is close to uterus) is covered by cancer site or manifestation and sources of funding for research. by glandular cells and the ectocervix (the lower part which is The distribution of research by cancer site correlates positively with close to vagina) is covered by squamous cells. The transformation the relative disease burden, with mouth cancer causing the highest zone (squamocolumnar junction) refers to the place where these number of deaths. Articles on genetics and chemotherapy were the two regions meet. There are different types of cervical cancers most preferred in treatment methods. Aparna et al.[10] examined the classified on the basis of where they develop in the cervix. Cancer research output in the field of oncology by Indians in Canada and that develops in the ectocervix is called squamous cell carcinoma and USA during 1988‑1990, 1998‑2000 and 2008‑2010. around 80‑9‑% cervical cancer cases (>90% in India) are of this type. Cancer that develops in the endocervix is called adenocarcinoma. In OBJECTIVES addition, small percentage of cervical cancer cases is mixed versions of the above two, and is called adenosquamous carcinoma or mixed The main objective of this study is to analyze the Indian and global carcinomas. There are also some very rare types of cervical cancers, research output in cervix cancer during 2003-2012, with a view: (i) such as small cell carcinoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma, etc.[2] To study the world research output, its growth, rank and global publications share and citation impact of top 15 countries, (ii) to All women are at risk for cervical cancer. It occurs most often in study the Indian publication output and citation impact by different women over age 30. The human papillomavirus, which is passed sub-fields, types of research, cancer site, treatment methods and from one person to another during sex, is the main cause of cervical population age groups; (iv) to study the Indian contribution by cancer. In addition, other things can increase the risk of cervical type of Indian organizations and by geographical regions; (v) to cancer include, smoking, having HIV, using birth control pills for a study the publications productivity and citation impact of 15 Indian long time and having given birth to more children’s.[3] leading institutions and authors and (vi) to study the pattern of communication of Indians in most productive journals. According to GLOBOCAN 2012, with 528,000 new cases every year, cervical cancer is the 4th most common cancer affecting women METHODOLOGIES AND SOURCE OF th worldwide, after breast, colorectal and lung cancers and 7 overall. DATA It is also the 4th most common cause of cancer death (266,000 deaths in 2012) in women worldwide, accounting for 7.5% of all The world publication output and publication output of 15 most female cancer deaths. Almost 445,000 cases of the global burden productive countries (including India) in cervical cancer were extracted of cervical cancer falls in areas with lower level of development, and downloaded from Scopus International Database (http://www. leading to 230,000 deaths in 2012. In India, 122,844 new cervical scopus.com) for the 10 years (2003‑2012) period. For identifying cases are diagnosed annually in India. Its crude incidence rate in literature on cervix cancer, a set of keywords were identified and cervical cancer is 20.2, compared to 15.1 of the world. India’s age the following search strategy (main strategy) (limiting it to country standardized incidence rate in cervical cancer is 22.0, compared affiliating tag and period limiting to 2003-2012), was used to search to 14.0 of the world. Cervical cancer ranks as the second cause and download publication data resulting in 37,049 global publication of female cancer in India. India, China, Brazil, Bangladesh and records and 1832 Indian records in cervical cancer research during Nigeria represents more than half of the global burden of cervical 2003‑2012. cancer deaths accord to Cancer Global Crisis Card released by the Cervical Cancer Free Coalition. The highest number of (((KEY (cancer) OR KEY (neoplasm or carcinoma)) AND deaths (72,825) because of cervical cancer was in India, followed by PUBYEAR > 2002 AND PUBYEAR < 2013) and ((KEY (cervical) China (33,914), Brazil (11,055), Bangladesh (10,364), Nigeria (9659), OR KEY (uterine cervix or uterine cervical)) AND PUBYEAR > 2002 Indonesia (7493), Pakistan (7311), etc.[4‑7] AND PUBYEAR < 2013)). The type of cancer, cancer site and research type in India was Literature review identified with a set of keywords, which were later converted into Only few studies have been carried in the past on the evaluation three separate search strategies. Each individual search strategy was of Indian cancer literature. Among such studies, Patra and combined with the main strategy to generate the desired publication Bhattacharya[8] analyzed World and Indian oncology research output. Cervical cancer research output was classified according to output (6484 papers) during 1987‑2003, using PubMed database. population age groups based on keywords, such as child, adolescents, It examined research activities of different countries and India’s adults, middle aged and aged 80 and over: For analyzing papers by literature growth trends and application of Bradford’s Law of sub-fields, database classification as provided in Scopus database Scattering for identifying core journals and Lotka’s Law for author has been used.