Objective:

To conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of literature on immune-related adverse events (irAEs) associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in lung cancer from 2016 to the present.

Key Findings:

• The annual publication volume in this field has shown a continuous upward trend from 2016 to the present, progressing through three distinct phases: the initial phase (2016–2019), the rapid increase phase (2020–2022), and the stable development phase (2023–present).
• China ranked first globally with 626 publications, while the U.S. exhibited the highest betweenness centrality in international collaboration, indicating a strong bridging position.
• Co-citation analysis identified two major groups: landmark randomized trials of ICIs and guidelines on irAE management.
• Research hotspots have exhibited a four-stage migration pattern from pan-tumor safety to long-term prognosis in recurrent populations.
• Keyword burst analysis indicated increasing attention to recurrent disease and safety-related topics.

Interpretation:

The bibliometric analysis provides insights into the publication landscape, collaboration patterns, and evolving research topics related to ICI-related irAEs in lung cancer.

Limitations:

• The analysis may not capture all relevant studies due to limitations in the databases used, potentially overlooking significant literature from other sources.
• The focus on specific databases may exclude important studies published in non-indexed journals or other platforms.

Conclusion:

The findings may assist researchers in identifying major topic distributions and areas requiring further investigation, particularly in organ-specific high-risk irAEs and safety-focused research, which are critical for improving clinical outcomes.