ABSTRACT
In a proportion of patients, even with optimal surveillance, metastatic disease will be inoperable at the time of diagnosis. Patients with unresectable metastatic disease treated with palliative chemotherapy have better survival at 6 months and 12 months, however, compared with patients treated with supportive care alone.12 Patients with unresectable metastatic disease may also be selected for palliative rather than aggressive surgical treatment. Surgical palliation is an effective treatment that alleviates symptoms, increases survival over non-surgical supportive care, and may require only a short hospitalization.13
