Chemotherapy and Internal Radiation in Treating Patients With Colorectal Cancer That Has Spread to the Liver

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed colorectal cancer\* meeting 1 of the following criteria:

  * Metachronous metastasis after resection of Dukes A-C (i.e., stage I-III) primary colon cancer with or without adjuvant chemotherapy
  * Metachronous metastasis after resection of primary rectal cancer with neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy
  * Synchronous metastatic liver disease with symptomatic or asymptomatic primary colorectal cancer NOTE: \*If the patient has a second malignancy with liver metastasis potential, histologic or cytologic confirmation of the liver lesions may be performed as clinically indicated
* Liver-only or liver-predominant disease with any of the following:

  * Unresected primary disease
  * Limited bone or lung disease
  * Potentially resectable nodal disease
  * Anastomotic disease
* No active CNS metastasis or diffuse peritoneal metastasis
* No hepatic metastases from a second malignancy
* No predominant extrahepatic disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG performance status 0-2
* Life expectancy \> 3 months
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL
* WBC ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
* Creatinine ≤ 2 mg/dL
* Bilirubin ≤ 2 mg/dL (without extrahepatic biliary obstruction)
* Albumin \> 2 g/dL
* INR \< 1.5 (without anticoagulation)
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* No prior external-beam radiotherapy to the liver
* Concurrent targeted therapy agents (e.g., bevacizumab or cetuximab) allowed