Liver Surgery and Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Colorectal Cancer With Liver Metastases That Can Be Removed by Surgery and Lung Metastases That Cannot Be Removed by Surgery

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with synchronous or metachronous diagnosis of resectable liver metastases by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the abdomen * Patients requiring percutaneous or intraoperative ablation of liver metastases \< 2 cm in size are eligible * Patients who underwent prior liver resection or ablation for colorectal liver metastases are eligible * Patients previously treated with systemic chemotherapy and/or biologic agents for colorectal cancer are eligible * The primary tumor in the colon or rectum may be intact or resected * Low-volume lung metastases are defined as solid pulmonary nodules \< 2 cm with non-spiculated contours, no benign-appearing calcifications, and =\< 14 in number, diagnosed by computed tomography of the chest or positron emission tomography (PET) * Lung metastases will be unresectable due to anatomic location, distribution, or patients' comorbidities, as determined by review of imaging by a faculty member in the Department of Thoracic \& Cardiovascular Surgery * Patients must sign a study-specific consent form * Patients will undergo CT imaging of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis to evaluate lung and liver metastases within 60 days of registration; for patients who cannot tolerate CT contrast or have hepatic steatosis that reduces the sensitivity of CT, MRI of the liver will be performed Exclusion Criteria: * Radiographic evidence of disease other than liver and lungs, with the exception of mediastinal lymph nodes \< 2 cm and hepatoduodenal ligament lymphadenopathy, diagnosed by computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or positron emission tomography * Serum bilirubin \>= 2 mg/dL * Platelet count \< 50,000/uL * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 3-4 * Patient refusal to participate in randomization * Pregnant women are excluded from this study * Planned stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for the pulmonary metastases