Pan L, et al. - Researchers examined how circulating tumor cells (CTCs) phenotypes are associated with the clinicopathological features of patients with early cervical cancer. Analyzing peripheral blood samples from 90 patients with early cervical cancer, they noted a positivity rate of 90% for CTCs in patients with stage I-IIA cervical cancer. Findings revealed a close relation of CTCs with mesenchymal phenotypes to pelvic lymph node metastasis and lymphatic vascular invasion in stage I-IIA cervical cancer. Circulating tumor cell phenotypes may assist in early diagnosis of cervical cancer micro-metastasis and in the assessment of disease status.