Introduction

We conducted a bibliometric analysis to determine the most impactful articles in the oncologic management of elderly cancer patients.

Material and methods

We searched Web of Science papers with six keywords: “geriat*” OR “older patient*” OR “older adult*” OR “elderly” and “*cancer” OR “oncolog*”. We identified and analyzed the top 100 most-cited articles and abstracted information on topic, journal, first author, year, institution, level of evidence, and the adjusted citation index.

Results

Of the 100 most-cited papers, 62 had at least one author from the United States. Of the 62 United States papers, 18 had at least one author from Harvard University and 14 had authors from the National Institutes of Health. Among the 50 authors who contributed to the most-cited papers, Hurria is the most prolific author, with nine papers. Lung, breast, and colorectal cancers are the most studied cancer types, and the Geriatric 8 scale is the most studied scale.

Conclusions

Our study is the first to analyze the top 100 most-cited studies in geriatric oncology. By comprehensively identifying the authors, institutes, journals, and the levels of evidence of these studies, we have created an easily accessible resource for practicing physicians to reference within this important area of oncology.