RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving chemotherapy drugs before surgery may shrink the tumor so that it can be removed during surgery. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether chemotherapy is more effective followed by surgery or combined with radiation therapy in treating cervical cancer.