A Scientometric Analysis of Photodynamic and Laser Medicine Research: Knowledge Structure, Collaboration Networks, and Thematic Evolution

Photodynamic and laser medicine has rapidly developed into an interdisciplinary research field integrating photonics, laser technology, nanotechnology, biomedical imaging, and clinical medicine; however, its global knowledge structure and thematic evolution remain insufficiently understood. study aimed to provide a comprehensive scientometric analysis of global research on photodynamic and laser medicine from 1990 to 2026 by examining its knowledge structure, collaboration networks, and thematic evolution. Bibliographic records were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and analyzed using the Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny package in R. Performance analysis, collaboration network analysis, keyword co-occurrence, thematic mapping, density visualization, and trend topic analysis were employed. A total of 3,924 publications were identified, with an annual growth rate of 16.01%. China was the leading contributor in publication output, whereas the United States showed the highest citation impact and international collaboration. Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed three major thematic clusters centered on photodynamic therapy, nanomedicine and drug delivery, and biomedical imaging. Trend analysis indicated a shift from fundamental photochemical mechanisms toward nanotechnology-enabled, imaging-guided, and clinically oriented applications. Overall, photodynamic and laser medicine is characterized by increasing integration of therapeutic and diagnostic approaches, with future development likely to depend on interdisciplinary collaboration across photonics, nanotechnology, biomedical imaging, and precision medicine.