【Objective】 To investigate the molecular mechanism of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) TDRG1 in facilitating the malignant progression and poor prognosis of patients with cervical cancer. 【Methods】 Cervical cancer cell lines and normal cervical cell Ect1/E6E7 were collected. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of TDRG1. Cervical cancer cell lines were transfected with TDRG1-siRNA, and the proliferation of cancer cells was detected by CCK-8 method and cell plate cloning experiment. The invasion and migration of cancer cells were measured by Transwell experiment. The apoptosis of cancer cells was examined by flow cytometry, and the expressions of relevant proteins were tested by Western blot. 【Results】 Compared with Ect1/E6E7, cervical cancer cell lines showed relatively increased expression of TDRG1. Downregulation of TDRG1 expression inhibited the proliferation and colony formation (162±21 vs. 411±33, P<0.05), as well as the invasion and migration (invasion: 86±13 vs. 315±38, P<0.01; migration: 177±22 vs. 406±41, P<0.01) of Hela cells. Meanwhile, the apoptosis of Hela cells increased [(28±1.5)% vs. (16±1.2)%, P<0.05] and the expression of Bcl-2 protein reduced. In addition, TDRG1 knockdown also decreased the activity of autophagy in Hela cells. 【Conclusion】 TDRG1 facilitates the malignant biological progression of cervical cancer by inhibiting the apoptosis and providing a protective autophagy in cervical cells.