Abstract: Regional lymph node diffusion is the main route of cervical cancer metastasis. Lymph node status has been included in the latest cervical cancer staging system of the international federation of obstetrics and gynecology（FIGO）. Several studies have shown that pelvic lymph node metastasis is an independent prognostic factor for the survival of cervical cancer and determines the treatment strategy of cervical cancer. At present, except for the histopathological examination after surgery, the lymph node metastasis of cervical cancer can not be accurately detected before an operation. The discovery of cervical cancer lymph node metastasis biomarkers can improve the accuracy of preoperative lymph node metastasis diagnosis, help to identify patients with a high risk of death, and then provide effective clinical treatment for cervical cancer. In this review, we summarize the research progress on the molecular mechanism of pelvic lymph node metastasis of cervical cancer centered on epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and microRNA (miRNA) and find the possible biomarkers to provide a reference for preoperative diagnosis of cervical cancer lymph node metastasis.

Key words: Uterine cervical neoplasms;, Lymphatic metastasis;, Biomarkers;, Epithelial-mesenchymal transition;, Vascular endothelial growth factor C, MicroRNAs