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BackgroundThe association between SOX14 and cancer has been reported. The aim of this study was to identify and validate the potential value of SOX14 methylation in the early detection of cervical cancer.MethodsFirst, we extracted the data for SOX14 methylation and expression within cervical cancer from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and analysed them via UALCAN, Wanderer, MEXPRESS and LinkedOmics. Subsequently, according to the bioinformatics findings, primers and probes were designed for the most significantly differentiated methylation CpG site and synthesized for methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and quantitative methylation-specific PCR (QMSP) to verify SOX14 methylation in both cervical tissuses and liquid-based cell samples. Eventually, the clinical diagnostic efficacy of SOX14 methylation in the normal, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and cancer groups was analysed by ROCAUC.ResultsPooled analysis demonstrated that SOX14 methylation levels were significantly increased in cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC) compared to normal tissues (P P CINII), the sensitivity was 74.42% and the specificity was 81.48%, with a cut-off value of 10.37.ConclusionSOX14 hypermethylation is associated with cervical cancer and has the potential to be a molecular biomarker for the screening and early diagnosis of cervical cancer.