Non-resection versus resection for an asymptomatic primary tumor in patients with unresectable Stage IV colorectal cancer.

Complications from the primary tumour are not related with survival in patients with synchronous stage IV colorectal cancer receiving chemotherapy without primary tumour resection

“…Similarly, Ruo et al reported a benefit in median and 2-year survival times for patients initially treated with surgery, but in the multivariate analysis, only the volume of liver replacement was a significant predictor of survival [9]. A recent review by Cirocchi et al shows that the resection of the primary tumour in asymptomatic patients who are managed with chemo/radiotherapy is not associated with an improvement in overall survival or with a significant reduction of complication risks from the primary tumour [10]. Howbeit, a meta-analysis of eight retrospective comparative studies reported an improvement in the survival among patients with primary tumour palliative resection [11].…”