The surgical treatment of cervical tumours is a complex problem that often puzzles the gynaecological surgeon. The operation was previously named after Ernst Wertheim, who performed the first radical hysterectomy more than a century ago, and has since undergone many modifications. Today, almost 50% of patients are diagnosed at an early stage, when the disease is still localised to the cervix, with a 5-year survival rate of more than 90%. Surgical treatment is the first-line treatment for this group of patients, which offers a good solution in terms of long-term quality of life through ovarian preservation and surgical technique. In the majority of cases where fertility preservation is not an option, radical removal of the uterus and removal of lymph nodes is the basis for surgery. For both interventions, there have been many changes in the last decades and a detailed description of these changes and treatment planning is the main aim of this study.