Objective To analyze the current research status and research hot spots of the psychological distress in cancer patients in China over the past decade,in order to provide reference for the study of psychological care of cancer patients.Methods The relevant literature on psychological distress in cancer patients from January 1,2010,to June 22,2021,was retrieved from the China national knowledge infrastructure(CNKI)database,and the data was imported into CiteSpace software for bibliometric analysis.Results A total of 240 relevant articles were included in the analysis,and the overall publication volume showed an increasing trend.The journal with the highest number of publications was the Journal of Nursing Science(12 articles).The top three keywords were psychological distress,influencing factors,and quality of life.Keyword clustering analysis revealed that the research mainly focused on four aspects:influencing factors,measurement tools,key populations and positive coping strategies.Conclusions Although China has gradually paid attention to the psychological pain of cancer patients in recent years,it is still in the developing stage.The main focus has been on exploring the influencing factors of psychological distress in specific populations,selecting appropriate measurement tools,and studying the psychological growth of cancer survivors.In the future,it is necessary to further explore intervention strategies to improve the psychological well-being and quality of life of cancer patients.