BACKGROUND: As the survival rate of breast cancer patients increases, breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) has gradually received attention from researchers. This study aims to sort out and summarize the relevant studies on BCRL using bibliometric analysis and to explore future research trends. METHODS: In this study, we searched the Web of Science Core Collection for publications related to BCRL, analyzed the publication trends by applying Microsoft Excel 2019, and analyzed authors, cited journals, journal mapping overlays, cited references, and keywords by applying CiteSpace (v.6.1.R3 Advanced). SCImago Graphica (v.1.0.39) was applied to analyze countries/regions, institutions, and published journals. RESULTS: We finally included 1000 publications published between 2003 and July 4, 2024. Publications showed an upward trend, with the largest number of publications in 2023. USA is the most published country, Harvard University is the most published institution, Taghian AG is the most published author, and DiSipio T is the most cited author. Lymphatic Research and Biology is the most published journal, and Cancer-American Cancer Society is the most cited journal. "Breast cancer," "arm lymphedema," and "quality of life" were the most frequent keywords. Current research focuses on risk factors, treatment strategies, and patients' quality of life with BCRL. Future research will mainly focus on establishing BCRL evaluation protocols, improving treatment techniques, and early prevention and detection of BCRL. CONCLUSION: Our study sorts out the current knowledge structure in the field and highlights the current state of research and future research directions. These findings inform researchers and clinicians.