Publications on Breast Neoplasms in Medline: A Comparison between Iran and Other Middle East Countries

The high prevalence of breast cancer, especially in Iranian young women, led us to survey the published Iranian articles related to breast cancer. The purpose of the current study was to analyze and visualize the trend of scientific output in the field of breast cancer research in Iran as well as Middle East countries. In a bibliometric study, all Iranian publication in the field of breast cancer indexed in Medline were extracted and compared with the publications of other Middle East countries during 1965-2008. Medline was searched based on the medical subject headings (MeSH) keywords. In order to make the search more comprehensive, the keywords suggested by the specialists were also included. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Microsoft Word and Excel. Data analysis showed that the number of publications in the field of breast cancer originated from Iran had considerably increased. In fact, from one paper in 1990, the number reached 24 papers in 2008 (105 articles during 2001-2008 vs. 9 articles before 2000). Additionally, Iran ranked the 5th among Middle East countries in terms of number of breast cancer-related publications. Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and Center for Breast Cancer at Jihad of Tehran University were the most active centers in the field of breast cancer. The Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention (APJCP) published the highest number of Iranian articles in the field of breast cancer research. This study indicated an increasing trend in the number of Iranian breast cancer-related publications in Medline during 1965-2008. The numbers especially had an exponentially increasing trend after 2001.