Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy With or Without Surgery in Treating Patients With Stage I Cancer of the Cervix

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. It is not yet known which regimen of radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy, with or without surgery, is more effective in treating early cancer of the cervix. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of surgery followed by different regimens of radiation therapy and chemotherapy with that of chemotherapy and radiation therapy alone in treating patients who have stage I cancer of the cervix.