This is a retrospective analysis of the results of treatment of 24 patients with bulky stage II carcinoma of the cervix treated with full course irradiation followed by adjunctive surgery between 1975 and 1980. A review of the surgical specimens following irradiation showed that 12 patients had no residual cancer, five had only microscopic foci of cancer, and five had extensive residual cancer. Two patients had unresectable persistent cancer. Six patients had histological evidence of lymph node metastases prior to irradiation. The surgical-pathological findings following irradiation had important prognostic implications. All five patients with extensive residual cancer in the surgical specimen recurred, 2 of 5 patients with only microscopic foci of residual cancer and, none of the 12 patients with no residual cancer in the resected specimens developed a recurrence. Lymph node involvement was not associated with an increased incidence of recurrence. Most patients with residual cancer following full course irradiation recurred locally. Thus the addition of adjunctive surgery following full course irradiation did not significantly improve the treatment results of patients with bulky stage II carcinoma of the cervix.