Abstract. The recurrence and metastasis of cervical cancer contribute to a poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors for cervical cancer progression. A total of 284 patients with recurrent cervical cancer were retrospectively recruited to evaluate the association of disease recurrence with clinicopathological data. The univariate analysis demonstrated that patient age, tumor appearance and tumor size were significantly associated with early recurrence and metastasis of the disease (P<0.05). However, clinical stage, tumor histology, pathological stage and initial treatment options were not associated with early recurrence and metastasis of cervical cancer (P>0.05). The multivariate analysis also demonstrated that patient age, tumor appearance and tumor size were independent risk factors for the early recurrence of cervical cancer (P<0.05). Therefore, these three factors should be taken into consideration in the management of cervical cancer.