112 patients with carcinoma of the cervix had a scalene lymph nodes biopsy. In 22 cases (20%) metastases to the scalene lymph nodes were detected. In these cases, systemic spread of the disease beyond curative surgical or radiation therapy possibilities had to be considered. In our findings, patients with positive scalene lymph nodes had a mean survival time of 10 months after detection of the metastases in the scalene lymph nodes. Considering the systemic dissemination of the disease, patients with positive scalene lymph nodes may be treated only by palliative methods and can be spared further high-risk noncurative treatment.