OBJECTIVE The objectives of this review are to compare the effectiveness and safety of radiochemotherapy (RTCT) with radiotherapy (RT) alone in locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). METHODS We comprehensively searched the Cochrane library, Medline, EMBASE, Chinese biomedicine literature database, Chinese scientific full-text database and Chinese journal full-text database for relevant articles. The computer search was supplemented with a manual search of reference lists for all available review articles. Also reference lists of the included studies were reviewed. RESULTS We included 18 randomized trials involving 3,517 patients. Meta-analysis results are as follows: the response rate, 3 and 5-year survival rates were significantly better in patients in the RTCT group than in RT group. As adverse effects, limited evidence suggests that there was no significant difference between the two groups with regard to rectitis, cystitis, nausea and vomiting. But RTCT group has higher incidence rates than RT group in gastrointestinal, myelosuppression and leucopenia. CONCLUSIONS The combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy was more effective for LACC than radiotherapy alone. There was no significant difference between the RTCT regimen group and RT regimen group with regard to adverse effects.