Surgical Resection of Primary Tumor in Asymptomatic or Minimally Symptomatic Patients With Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: A Canadian Province Experience

Micro-Abstract Surgical removal of the primary tumor in asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic patients with stage IV colorectal cancer (CRC) and unresectable metastases remains controversial. Survival benefit reported in the literature has been attributed to the selection of younger and healthier patients with good performance status. In the present study we showed that resection of the primary tumor improved survival in patients with stage IV CRC, independent of age, performance status, comorbid illness, and chemotherapy.