Fewer colon cancer patients have surgery but survival is increasing, US study shows

The number of patients with stage IV colorectal cancer who undergo primary tumour resection in the United States has decreased significantly over time, a retrospective cohort study has shown. However, patient survival rates have improved, and the researchers wrote in the journal JAMA Surgery that surgery may still be overused.

The study included data from the National Cancer Institute’s registry of 64 157 patients in …