Objective To accurately grasp the situation of international research in the field on the CTC. To provide reference for selecting leading-edge technology, we performed bibliometrics analysis on the international literature about circulating tumor cells. Methods Based on Web of Science, with the aid of CiteSpace software, using multiple bibliometrics analysis approaches including data visualization analysis, co-ocurrence analysis, citation analysis and burst detection, the literature distribution characteristics of CTC, the core literature, research hotspots and frontiers were analyzed. Results Totally 861 CTC related articles and 28 132 citation articles were obtained in Web of Science. CTC research in the field has developed rapidly in recent years and has gradually become a hot spot of cancer research. The united states has an absolute advantage in the CTC area, China is ranked fourth, but there is still a large gap between China and the United States, Germany and Japan. The study also found 20 CTC core literatures, determined the current CTC’s main research focus and research frontiers. Conclusion China needs to further strengthen its CTC’s research, especially on the key issues in translational clinical research and provide supports fo