Science Explorer Interactive view Map
Subfield · Medicine

Oncology research

Oncology is a subfield of Medicine. Science Explorer counts 1.2M research works in it since 1950. 16.9% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: branch of medicine dealing with cancer.

Research works
1.2M
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
205k
per year above
Top-10% rate
16.9%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
34
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+37%
the tick is no change

This ranks research output and citation impact. It says nothing about the quality of diagnosis, treatment or care.

What is Oncology research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Tumor Microenvironment, Immunotherapy, Chemotherapy, Cancer, Mortality, Clinical Trials. Gaining share since 2009–13: COVID-19, Pandemic, Immune Checkpoint Blockade, PD-1 and PD-L1, Clinical Trials. Losing share: Breast Cancer, Cancer Therapy, Angiogenesis, Clinical Practice Guidelines.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2019–23 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2009–13. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Tumor Microenvironment71k▲ 1.40×5 topics
  2. Immunotherapy55k▲ 1.41×4 topics
  3. Chemotherapy55k◆ 0.96×6 topics
  4. Cancer52k▲ 1.71×7 topics
  5. Mortality35k▲ 2.9×2 topics
  6. Clinical Trials34k▲ 3.9×2 topics
  7. Metastasis33k◆ 1.14×5 topics
  8. Neoadjuvant Therapy29k◆ 1.11×2 topics
  9. Immune Checkpoint Blockade26k▲ 4.4×1 topic
  10. PD-1 and PD-L126k▲ 4.4×1 topic
  11. COVID-1924k▲ 69×1 topic
  12. Pandemic24k▲ 69×1 topic
  13. Cancer Therapy23k▼ 0.71×3 topics
  14. Risk Factors22k◆ 0.99×2 topics
  15. Inflammation22k▼ 0.85×4 topics
  16. Immunosuppression21k▼ 0.77×3 topics
  17. Tumor Markers21k◆ 1.09×2 topics
  18. Quality of Life20k▼ 0.82×2 topics
  19. Breast Cancer19k▼ 0.63×3 topics
  20. Pancreatic Cancer19k▲ 1.20×1 topic
  21. Surgical Complications19k▲ 1.20×1 topic
  22. Cancer Incidence17k◆ 0.91×2 topics
  23. Clinical Practice Guidelines17k▼ 0.74×2 topics
  24. CAR T Cells16k▲ 2.2×1 topic
  25. Chimeric Antigen Receptor16k▲ 2.2×1 topic
  26. Angiogenesis15k▼ 0.72×3 topics
  27. Depression14k▲ 1.26×2 topics
  28. Cancer Survivorship12k▲ 1.28×1 topic
  29. Patient-Reported Outcomes12k▲ 1.28×1 topic
  30. Cancer Stem Cells12k◆ 0.87×1 topic
  31. Tumor Metastasis12k◆ 0.87×1 topic
  32. Global Surveillance11k◆ 1.05×1 topic
  33. Mortality Rates11k◆ 1.05×1 topic
  34. Colorectal Cancer11k◆ 0.92×1 topic
  35. Screening11k◆ 0.92×1 topic
  36. Fibroblast Activation Protein11k▼ 0.80×1 topic
  37. N-terminal Acetylation11k▼ 0.80×1 topic
  38. Genomic Profiles11k▲ 1.25×1 topic
  39. Small-Cell Lung Cancer11k▲ 1.25×1 topic
  40. Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy10k◆ 0.96×1 topic

Which countries lead Oncology research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, the United States, China and the United Kingdom rank highest in Oncology. By volume, the United States and China publish the most (58k and 47k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 United States · #1 all time 15.9% top 10% · 58k works
  2. 2 China · #2 all time 22.7% top 10% · 47k works
  3. 3 United Kingdom · #3 all time 16.2% top 10% · 9.3k works
  4. 4 Germany · #4 all time 17.5% top 10% · 8.5k works
  5. 5 Italy · #6 all time 21.4% top 10% · 8.1k works
  6. 6 France · #5 all time 17.1% top 10% · 5.9k works
  7. 7 India · #15 all time 9.8% top 10% · 12k works
  8. 8 Spain · #11 all time 15.5% top 10% · 5.6k works
  9. 9 Japan · #7 all time 10.9% top 10% · 12k works
  10. 10 Canada · #8 all time 17.6% top 10% · 4.6k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 67 countries ranked in Oncology. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Oncology

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 United States 58k works
  2. 2 China 47k works
  3. 3 Japan 12k works
  4. 4 India 12k works
  5. 5 United Kingdom 9.3k works
  6. 6 Germany 8.5k works
  7. 7 Italy 8.1k works
  8. 8 France 5.9k works
  9. 9 Spain 5.6k works
  10. 10 South Korea 5.4k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

United States: 33.5%China: 27.4%Japan: 7.1%India: 7.1%6 others listed: 24.9%33%largest
United States58k · 33.5%China47k · 27.4%Japan12k · 7.1%India12k · 7.1%6 others listed43k · 24.9%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Oncology research?

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (United States) ranks first in Oncology on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College and Harvard University.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center United States · Houston · #3 all time 18.0% top 10% · 1.6k works
  2. 2 Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College China · Beijing · #40 all time 22.1% top 10% · 1.2k works
  3. 3 Harvard University United States · Cambridge · #1 all time 25.7% top 10% · 747 works
  4. 4 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center United States · New York · #2 all time 19.5% top 10% · 956 works
  5. 5 Sun Yat-sen University China · Guangzhou · #41 all time 24.4% top 10% · 872 works
  6. 6 University of Pennsylvania United States · Philadelphia · #11 all time 19.5% top 10% · 604 works
  7. 7 Sichuan University China · Chengdu · #65 all time 27.6% top 10% · 736 works
  8. 8 Dana-Farber Cancer Institute United States · Boston · #5 all time 23.0% top 10% · 540 works
  9. 9 Massachusetts General Hospital United States · Boston · #10 all time 20.5% top 10% · 547 works
  10. 10 Cornell University United States · Ithaca · #13 all time 24.5% top 10% · 438 works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 772 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Oncology.

Top 100 Oncology institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center United States 1.6k works
  2. 2 Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College China 1.2k works
  3. 3 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center United States 956 works
  4. 4 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill United States 930 works
  5. 5 Sun Yat-sen University China 872 works
  6. 6 Harvard University United States 747 works
  7. 7 Sichuan University China 736 works
  8. 8 University of Pennsylvania United States 604 works
  9. 9 Peking University China 582 works
  10. 10 Massachusetts General Hospital United States 547 works

Who are the leading researchers in Oncology?

Among the most productive authors in Oncology, Elisabete Weiderpass, Daniel J. Sargent and F. Stephen Hodi rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 Elisabete Weiderpass France · #44 worldwide 6k citations · 183 works
  2. 2 Daniel J. Sargent United States · #93 worldwide 4.1k citations · 146 works
  3. 3 F. Stephen Hodi United States · #137 worldwide 3.4k citations · 149 works
  4. 4 Cyrus Cooper United Kingdom · #144 worldwide 7.2k citations · 486 works
  5. 5 Matthew Meyerson United States · #149 worldwide 4.2k citations · 138 works
  6. 6 Walter C. Willett United States · #154 worldwide 6.8k citations · 360 works
  7. 7 Charles M. Perou United States · #156 worldwide 4.2k citations · 229 works
  8. 8 Ahmedin Jemal United States · #157 worldwide 4.9k citations · 122 works
  9. 9 Bert Vogelstein United States · #173 worldwide 7.1k citations · 114 works
  10. 10 William D. Travis United States · #194 worldwide 2.6k citations · 141 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 5,733 highest-output authors in Oncology. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Oncology researchers

Where is Oncology research done?

The largest centres of Oncology research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Shanghai (China), Guangzhou (China) and New York (United States). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Yokohama.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 5.9k works
  2. 2 Shanghai China 4.3k works
  3. 3 Guangzhou China 3.6k works
  4. 4 New York United States 3.4k works
  5. 5 Tokyo Japan 2.9k works
  6. 6 Seoul South Korea 2.9k works
  7. 7 London United Kingdom 2.8k works
  8. 8 Houston United States 2.5k works
  9. 9 Boston United States 2.4k works
  10. 10 Hangzhou China 2.1k works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. Yokohama50.8 works19×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Oncology than the world average.

See Oncology on the map

Oncology research by country

The best places for Oncology research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Oncology?

Among universities, judged by research, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University and Humanitas University score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 25.83%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College: 1,202, 22.1%Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University: 150, 28.1%Humanitas University: 117, 25.0%China Medical University: 352, 30.8%Harvard University: 747, 25.7%Sichuan University: 736, 27.6%Nanjing Medical University: 532, 23.5%Sun Yat-sen University: 872, 24.4%China Pharmaceutical University: 216, 32.1%Fujian Medical University: 437, 19.0%China Medical Univer…Shanghai Medical Col…Humanitas UniversityChinese Academy of M…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College China 58.922.1%5.5×1,202 +64.7%
2Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University China 57.628.1%8.2×150 +81.8%
3Humanitas University Italy 56.725.0%6.6×117 +170.6%
4China Medical University China 51.330.8%4.8×352 -5.2%
5Harvard University United States 51.225.7%2.6×747 +18.9%
6Sichuan University China 50.627.6%1.9×736 +60.4%
7Nanjing Medical University China 50.023.5%4.6×532 +37.0%
8Sun Yat-sen University China 49.924.4%2.4×872 +45.3%
9China Pharmaceutical University China 49.732.1%4.4×216 +23.1%
10Fujian Medical University China 48.219.0%5.5×437 +64.3%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Oncology research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 37% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers, COVID-19 and healthcare impacts and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Disease Prognosis.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers+566%
  2. COVID-19 and healthcare impacts+348%
  3. Inflammatory Biomarkers in Disease Prognosis+296%
  4. Cancer Cells and Metastasis+197%
  5. CAR-T cell therapy research+194%
  6. Cancer survivorship and care+181%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2005–09 to 2015–19. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Oncology include?

Metal complexes synthesi…70kMetal complexes synthesis and properties: 70k fractional worksPancreatic and Hepatic O…69kPancreatic and Hepatic Oncology Research: 69k fractional worksCancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers: 62k fractional worksDrug Transport and Resistance Mechanisms: 57k fractional worksPeptidase Inhibition and Analysis: 57k fractional worksCancer Treatment and Pha…55kCancer Treatment and Pharmacology: 55k fractional worksCancer-related Molecular Pathways: 48k fractional worksCAR-T cell therapy research: 48k fractional worksCancer Cells and Metasta…47kCancer Cells and Metastasis: 47k fractional worksColorectal Cancer Screening and Detection: 44k fractional worksGlobal Cancer Incidence and Screening: 43k fractional worksBone health and treatments: 43k fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.