Objective: This study explores the disciplinary layout, collaborative characteristics and developmental evolution of nurse-led nutritional interventions for gastrointestinal cancer, to provide reference for clinical standardized nutritional nursing and follow-up research. Dataset: Literature retrieval was performed on June 24, 2026 in Web of Science Core Collection, covering all records from database inception to the retrieval date with subject terms targeting gastrointestinal cancer, nurse-led intervention and nutritional support. Original articles and reviews were eligible for inclusion. Two researchers independently screened the retrieved literature, and inconsistent screening results were adjudicated by a third reviewer. Finally, 130 valid publications were incorporated into subsequent analysis. Methods: CiteSpace 6.3.R1 software was applied to implement visual network analysis. Author collaboration, institutional cooperation and keyword networks were explored via co-occurrence analysis, LLR clustering and citation burst detection. Results: Publications in this field were scarce before 2014 and achieved sustained rapid growth thereafter. Regional research clusters have been formed in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region, whereas cross-continental research cooperation remains insufficient. Harvard-affiliated institutions, the University of Sydney, Sun Yat-sen University and Nanjing Medical University are the main high-output research institutions. The development of this field can be divided into three evolutionary stages, and the current cutting-edge research topics focus on gastric cancer, quality of life and immune function. Conclusion: Perioperative continuous nutritional management and post-discharge digital follow-up constitute the core practical orientation of this field. Sarcopenia and patient-reported outcomes act as core indicators to evaluate nursing intervention efficacy. Future research can carry out international multi-center trials, verify the applicability of GLIM criteria in Asian populations, standardize the ethical application of artificial intelligence, and construct patient-reported outcome-based evaluation systems for nurse-led nutritional care pathways.
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