Objective: To investigate the expressions of tumor microenvironment-associated factors IL-6, IL-10 and chemokine receptor 7 (CXCR7) in papillary thyroid carcinoma and their significance. Methods: The expressions of IL-6, IL-10 and CXCR7 in 50 specimens of papillary thyroid carcinoma tissue and 20 specimens of nodular goiter tissue were detected by immunohistochemical staining. The expression differences of the three factors between the two types of tissues were compared, and the relations of the three factors with the clinicopathologic factors of papillary thyroid carcinoma were analyzed. Results: The positive expression rates of IL-6, IL-10 and CXCR7 in papillary thyroid carcinoma tissue were all significantly higher than those in nodular goiter tissue (62.0% vs. 30.0%, 52.0% vs. 20.0% and 66.0% vs. 35.0%, all P<0.05). In patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma, the high expression of IL-6 or IL-10 was associated with tumor capsular invasion (both P<0.05), while high expression of CXCR7 was associated with lymphatic metastasis (P<0.05). Conclusion: The expressions of tumor microenvironment-associated factors IL-6, IL-10 and CXCR7 are increased in papillary thyroid carcinoma tissue, and their expression levels can be used as reference designators for estimating the invasion and metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma.