Objective To summarize the influencing factors of central lymph node metastasis in thyroid papillary carcinoma. Method Relevant literature about papillary thyroid carcinoma were reviewed and predictive factors of central lymph node metastasis were summarized. Results Studies had shown that, male, younger age, larger tumor size, multifocal, and BRAF mutations were risk factors for central lymph node metastasis in thyroid papillary carcinoma, while tumors located in the upper pole and combined with Hashimoto disease (HT) were the protective factors for central lymph node metastasis. Conclusions The central lymph node metastasis detection rate is low, so it is unable to meet with the preoperative diagnosis in papillary thyroid carcinoma. A large number of studies have confirmed that clinical pathological features have predictive value for preoperative lymph node diagnosis, and can provide a reference for the selection of surgical methods in thyroid papillary carcinoma.