Dr. Cavnar on the Roles of Chemotherapy and Surgery in Metastatic CRC

Michael J. Cavnar, MD, assistant professor of surgery, University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center, discusses the roles of chemotherapy and surgery in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Historically, patients with mCRC were not candidates for surgery, Cavnar says. Instead, these patients would receive palliative chemotherapy, with the goal of prolonging survival rather than cure.

However, some patients with metastatic disease have a low disease burden that can be controlled and reduced with chemotherapy, Cavnar explains. In these situations, surgical removal of residual disease by liver or lung resection should be considered, says Cavnar. Additionally, patients who have residual disease within the peritoneal cavity may undergo cytoreductive surgery or hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, concludes Cavnar.