Objective:

To systematically map the research landscape of intratumoral microbiota in cancer immunotherapy through bibliometric and visualization analyses.

Approach:

• Data Collection: Publications were retrieved from Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and PubMed up to November 8, 2025.
• Data Analysis: Bibliometric analyses were performed using R, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Scimago Graphica to examine publication trends, collaboration networks, knowledge bases, and keyword evolution.

Key Findings:

• 245 publications were included, consisting of 141 original articles and 104 reviews.
• The field has grown exponentially with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 63.1% from 2017 to 2024.
• China ranked first in publication output, followed by the United States, which had a more central position in citations and collaboration.
• Frontiers in Immunology was the most productive journal; major co-cited journals included Science (1,172 co-citations), Cell (729 co-citations), and Nature (670 co-citations).
• Research hotspots have shifted from gut microbiota and immune mechanisms to immunotherapy resistance and microbiota-targeted interventions.

Interpretation:

Research on intratumoral microbiota in cancer immunotherapy has rapidly developed into a distinct interdisciplinary field.

Limitations:

• The study may not capture all relevant publications due to database limitations.
• Research remains fragmented across multiple disciplines and tumor types.

Conclusion:

Future studies should prioritize standardized detection, spatial and multi-omics validation, and multicenter prospective evaluation.