Objective:To detect the expression of TWIST gene in cervical cancer and normal cervical tissues,explore the correlation between TWIST gene and the development of cervical cancer,and assess the clinical application of TWIST gene detection for cervical cancer diagnosis. Methods:The primary tumor tissues from 56 cervical cancer patients and 35 normal cervical tissues were collected. The expression of TWIST mRNA was detected by Real-time PCR. TWIST protein levels were determined by Western blot. The correlation analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between TWIST expression and clinical pathological parameters,load of high risk human papilloma virus (HPV). Results:The results of Real-time PCR showed that the expression rate of TWIST gene in the cervical cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in normal cervical tissues (P< 0.01),which was verified by the expression of TWIST protein levels detected by Western blot(P < 0.01). TWIST expression in the cervical cancer tissues was correlated with lymph node metastasis(P = 0.02) ,but not with age,FIGO stage,tumor size,pathological type and the differentiation grade of tumor (both P > 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that high level of TWIST mRNA expression was an independent risk factor for lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). There was no correlation between TWIST expression and load of high risk HPV in the cervical cancer group(r = 0.205,P > 0.05). Conclusion:TWIST expression in the cervical cancer tissues was up-regulated,and associated with lymph node metastasis. It may play an important role in the pathogenesis and metastasis of cervical cancer.