Four hundred and fifteen women, treated in our institution from 1961 to 1987 for operable carcinoma of the cervix stage I or II, had a radical hysterectomy with pelvic node dissection. Radiotherapy was associated with this surgery in most cases: 90% of the patients received endocavitary radiation, and 30% external radiotherapy, either pre- or post-operatively, in the case of bad prognostic factors. Median follow up was 7 years; overall survival was 77% at 10 years; the rate of local failure is low (36 cases/415 = 8.7%). Multifactorial analysis, using the Cox model, assessed the following independent prognostic factors, significant for the risk of local recurrence (size of the tumor, N +/- , FIGO stage) and for the risk of metastases and death (parametrium invasion, stage, tumor size). Post-operative mortality was 1.2%. Early surgical iatrogeny was easily treated with no long-term sequela, whereas severe complications, due to the association with pelvic irradiation, occurred in 24 out of 124 patients, leading to 7 "illegitimate" deaths.