Recent study revealed that immediate surgery is not needed by most patients with advanced colorectal cancer to remove the primary tumor in the colon. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States.

According to estimates of American Cancer Society, nearly 50,000 Americans will die due to colorectal cancer this year however about
147,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York studied 233 metastatic colorectal cancer cases treated at MSKCC from
2000 to 2006. Data analysis revealed that 217 of the 233 patients, or
93 percent, did not have complications that required surgical intervention. Only 16 patients needed colon surgery due to complications.

According to the prevailing notions, patients in stage IV disease immediately undergo colon surgery after diagnosis. Chemotherapy treatments start three to six weeks later