BACKGROUND: Cancer remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, posing major clinical and societal challenges because of the limitations of conventional therapies and the emergence of treatment resistance. In recent years, nanozymes-nanomaterials with intrinsic enzyme-like activities-have emerged as promising therapeutic agents for cancer treatment because of their high stability, tunable catalytic properties, and ability to modulate the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, a comprehensive assessment of the research landscape in this field remains lacking. METHODS: A bibliometric analysis was conducted on 2657 English-language publications related to nanozyme-based cancer therapy published between 2001 and 2025, retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) and Scopus databases. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the bibliometrix R package were employed to analyze publication trends, global contributions, collaboration networks, keyword evolution, and emerging research frontiers. RESULTS: Research on nanozyme-based cancer therapy has experienced exponential growth since 2017. China leads in terms of publication volume, whereas Singapore and the United States demonstrate higher citation impact. Major research hotspots include modulation of the tumor microenvironment (TME), catalytic combination therapy, single-atom nanozymes (SANs), and various programmed cell death pathways, including apoptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, and immunogenic cell death (ICD). Nanozymes markedly enhance photothermal, photodynamic, chemodynamic, and sonodynamic therapies. This enhancement is achieved through the regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the stimulation of immune responses. Despite these advances, several challenges remain, including standardization of synthesis, tumor-targeting specificity, and long-term biosafety. CONCLUSION: Nanozymes are transforming the landscape of cancer therapy by facilitating multimodal, immune-responsive, and precision-targeted strategies. Future research should prioritize the optimization of design and safety, the enhancement of international collaboration, and the advancement of clinical translation to fully realize their potential in next-generation oncology.
Gao et al. (Fri,) studied this question.