Surgical palliation of colorectal cancer

After curative resection of primary colorectal cancer, some tumors will recur in the local or regional area or metastasize to sites amenable to surgical extirpation: the liver, lung, abdominal wall, peritoneum, bone, brain, ovaries, or penis. The local recurrence or metastasis may be resected with curative intent. Frequently, however, that is not possible, and an approach to control symptoms is necessary. The role of surgical extirpation of disease without an expectation of cure is warranted in many instances.