[Diagnosis, classification and prognosis of cancer of the uterine cervix]

The various methods used to evaluate cancers of the cervix uterine are described. Physical examination (performed under general anaesthesia) is fundamental to assess the local and regional spread, and lymphography is the least disappointing method to study lymph node involvement. The F.I.G.O. classification is recalled. Discordances between anatomico-clinical stage and pathological stage, which have led to "staging surgery", are discussed. Finally, the prognostic factors are analyzed. The most important of them are anatomical extension and tumoral volume which can only be evaluated correctly by examining the operative specimen, and this confirms the value of surgery in the overall management of cervical cancer.