Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by radical surgery (RS) among patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC).

Methods Eight hundred patients with LACC received either NACT followed by RS (NACT–RS) or RS alone. The primary outcome measures assessed the efficacy and adverse effects of NACT. Secondary outcome measures compared the preoperative clinical stage to the postoperative pathologic stage in NACT–RS and RS patients, assessed intraoperative and postoperative complications, including the adverse effects of postoperative radiotherapy and radiochemotherapy, and estimated the 5-year progression-free survival and 5-year overall survival.

Results The clinical response to NACT was 89.54%. Patients in the NACT–RS group had lower preoperative hemoglobin levels (115.20 vs 122.04 g/L, P < 0.001), a longer operative time (mean, 233.66 vs 224.37 minutes, P = 0.008), more intraoperative bleeding (750.34 vs 684.41 mL, P = 0.011), a shorter duration of catheter use (mean, 29.84 vs 32.14 days, P = 0.036), and a lower incidence of postoperative complications (7.30% vs 13.62%, P = 0.002) and postoperative radiotherapeutic and radiochemotherapeutic adverse effects (3.16% vs 4.63%, P < 0.001) compared to patients in the RS group. The 5-year progression-free survival and 5-year overall survival were 80.30% and 81.10% in the NACT–RS group and 81.00% and 78.50% in the RS group (P > 0.05). Pathological poor differentiation, nonsquamous cell carcinoma, parametrial invasion, positive pelvic lymph node, and lymphovascular invasion (P < 0.05) were independent risk factors for recurrence.

Conclusions Neoadjuvant chemotherapy may reduce RS-associated complications and postoperative radiotherapeutic and radiochemotherapeutic adverse effects in Chinese patients with LACC.