Epigenetics in Thyroid Cancer: a Bibliometric Analysis

Overview

Journal Endocr Connect

Specialty Endocrinology

Date 2024 Jul 1

PMID 38949925

Authors

Hui Li

Peng Wu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Epigenetics, which involves regulatory modifications that do not alter the DNA sequence itself, is crucial in the development and progression of thyroid cancer. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the epigenetic research landscape in thyroid cancer, highlighting current trends, major research areas, and potential future directions.

Methods: A bibliometric analysis was performed using data from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) up to 1 November 2023. Analytical tools such as VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the R package 'bibliometrix' were employed for comprehensive data analysis and visualization. This process identified principal research themes, along with influential authors, institutions, and countries contributing to the field.

Results: The analysis reveals a marked increase in thyroid cancer epigenetics research over the past two decades. Emergent key themes include the exploration of molecular mechanisms and biomarkers, various subtypes of thyroid cancer, implications for therapeutic interventions, advancements in technologies and methodologies, and the scope of translational research. Research hotspots within these themes highlight intensive areas of study and the potential for significant breakthroughs.

Conclusion: This study presents an in-depth overview of the current state of epigenetics in thyroid cancer research. It underscores the potential of epigenetic strategies as viable therapeutic options and provides valuable insights for researchers and clinicians in advancing the understanding and treatment of this complex disease. Future research is vital to fully leverage the therapeutic possibilities offered by epigenetics in the management of thyroid cancer.

References

MacKenzie T, Cisneros R, Maynard R, Snyder M . Reverse-ChIP Techniques for Identifying Locus-Specific Proteomes: A Key Tool in Unlocking the Cancer Regulome. Cells. 2023; 12(14). PMC: 10377898. DOI: 10.3390/cells12141860. View

Xing M . Molecular pathogenesis and mechanisms of thyroid cancer. Nat Rev Cancer. 2013; 13(3):184-99. PMC: 3791171. DOI: 10.1038/nrc3431. View

Brasil S, Neves C, Rijoff T, Falcao M, Valadao G, Videira P . Artificial Intelligence in Epigenetic Studies: Shedding Light on Rare Diseases. Front Mol Biosci. 2021; 8:648012. PMC: 8131862. DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.648012. View

Yang Y, Ding L, Li Y, Xuan C . Hsa_circ_0039411 promotes tumorigenesis and progression of papillary thyroid cancer by miR-1179/ABCA9 and miR-1205/MTA1 signaling pathways. J Cell Physiol. 2019; 235(2):1321-1329. DOI: 10.1002/jcp.29048. View

Li M, Zhang C, Zhou L, Li S, Cao Y, Wang L . Identification and validation of novel DNA methylation markers for early diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma. Mol Oncol. 2020; 14(11):2744-2758. PMC: 7607165. DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12767. View

Sharma P, Hu-Lieskovan S, Wargo J, Ribas A . Primary, Adaptive, and Acquired Resistance to Cancer Immunotherapy. Cell. 2017; 168(4):707-723. PMC: 5391692. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.01.017. View

Wallin J . Bibliometric methods: pitfalls and possibilities. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2005; 97(5):261-75. DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-7843.2005.pto_139.x. View

Zhang K, Wang J, He Z, Qiu X, Sa R, Chen L . Epigenetic Targets and Their Inhibitors in Thyroid Cancer Treatment. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2023; 16(4). PMC: 10142462. DOI: 10.3390/ph16040559. View

Acuna-Ruiz A, Carrasco-Lopez C, Santisteban P . Genomic and epigenomic profile of thyroid cancer. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2022; 37(1):101656. DOI: 10.1016/j.beem.2022.101656. View

10.

Zhu X, Zhao L, Doolittle W, Cheng S . Reactivated thyroid hormone receptor β attenuates anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) stem cell activity. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2023; 30(6). PMC: 10354538. DOI: 10.1530/ERC-22-0306. View

11.

Di W, Li Q, Shen W, Guo H, Zhao S . The long non-coding RNA HOTAIR promotes thyroid cancer cell growth, invasion and migration through the miR-1-CCND2 axis. Am J Cancer Res. 2017; 7(6):1298-1309. PMC: 5489779. View

12.

. Integrated genomic characterization of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Cell. 2014; 159(3):676-90. PMC: 4243044. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.09.050. View

13.

Zarkesh M, Zadeh-Vakili A, Azizi F, Foroughi F, Akhavan M, Hedayati M . Altered Epigenetic Mechanisms in Thyroid Cancer Subtypes. Mol Diagn Ther. 2017; 22(1):41-56. DOI: 10.1007/s40291-017-0303-y. View

14.

Zhu X, Enomoto K, Zhao L, Zhu Y, Willingham M, Meltzer P . Bromodomain and Extraterminal Protein Inhibitor JQ1 Suppresses Thyroid Tumor Growth in a Mouse Model. Clin Cancer Res. 2016; 23(2):430-440. PMC: 5241246. DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-16-0914. View

15.

Xu W, Xu M, Wang L, Zhou W, Xiang R, Shi Y . Integrative analysis of DNA methylation and gene expression identified cervical cancer-specific diagnostic biomarkers. Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2019; 4:55. PMC: 6908647. DOI: 10.1038/s41392-019-0081-6. View

16.

Shuai Y, Ma Z, Liu W, Yu T, Yan C, Jiang H . TEAD4 modulated LncRNA MNX1-AS1 contributes to gastric cancer progression partly through suppressing BTG2 and activating BCL2. Mol Cancer. 2020; 19(1):6. PMC: 6953272. DOI: 10.1186/s12943-019-1104-1. View

17.

Fu H, Cheng L, Sa R, Jin Y, Chen L . Combined tazemetostat and MAPKi enhances differentiation of papillary thyroid cancer cells harbouring BRAF by synergistically decreasing global trimethylation of H3K27. J Cell Mol Med. 2020; 24(6):3336-3345. PMC: 7131946. DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.15007. View

18.

Zheng X, Rui S, Wang X, Zou X, Gong Y, Li Z . circPVT1 regulates medullary thyroid cancer growth and metastasis by targeting miR-455-5p to activate CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling. J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2021; 40(1):157. PMC: 8106141. DOI: 10.1186/s13046-021-01964-0. View

19.

Kondo T, Nakazawa T, Ma D, Niu D, Mochizuki K, Kawasaki T . Epigenetic silencing of TTF-1/NKX2-1 through DNA hypermethylation and histone H3 modulation in thyroid carcinomas. Lab Invest. 2009; 89(7):791-9. DOI: 10.1038/labinvest.2009.50. View

20.

Veschi V, Turdo A, Modica C, Verona F, Di Franco S, Gaggianesi M . Recapitulating thyroid cancer histotypes through engineering embryonic stem cells. Nat Commun. 2023; 14(1):1351. PMC: 10008571. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36922-1. View