Forty-five patients with carcinoma of the cervix stage Ib or IIa underwent primary radical surgery. The patho-histological examination of the surgical specimens showed, that pelvic lymph node metastases, tumour volume, depth of tumour invasion, lymphatic or vascular permeation and parametrial involvement were significant bad prognostic factors. The histological types of squamous cell carcinomas and local lymphoplasmocytic stromal reaction to the tumour had no statistical prognostic significance. A simple and objective method of assessing tumour volume is described. A 5-year actuarial survival rate for patients with metastatic pelvic lymph nodes (33% of the patients in this study) treated by surgery and additional postoperative external whole pelvis radiotherapy was 55%. This is significantly lower than the 86% 5-year actuarial survival rate of patients without pelvic lymph node metastases treated by surgery alone (P less than 0.05). The postoperative radiotherapy of carcinoma of the cervix with bad prognostic factors including pelvic lymph node metastases seems to improve local tumour control and perhaps survival in a subgroup of node negative tumours presenting other histopathological risk factors.