Removal of Primary tumor extends OS for Stage IV

Surgery to remove the primary tumor in women diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, followed by the standard combination of therapies, adds months to the patients' lives, compared with standard therapy alone, an international clinical trial led by the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI).

http://www.upmc.com/media/NewsReleases/2016/Pages/soran-rct-turkish-study.aspx

June 2016 - ASCO Abstract:
Conclusion: In this trial we did not observe improvement in 36 month survival with surgery. However, longer follow up revealed statistically significant improvement in median survival with surgery (46 vs.37 months) at median 40 months follow up. Additionally, patients with a more indolent form of metastatic BC such as ER+, HER2-, solitary bone metastasis, and patients < 55 years old have a significant survival benefit with initial surgery.

Clinical Trial: NCT00557986