Objective: The efficacy of intra-abdominal cytoreductive surgery in patients with endometrial cancer and distant metastasis is equivocal. We investigated the effectiveness of such surgical treatment and whether it should be performed before or after chemotherapy (CT). Methods: This study included patients with an International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IVB endometrial cancer who received initial treatment at our hospital between January 2006 and December 2017. Results: We retrospectively reviewed 67 patients with stage IVB endometrial cancer with distant metastases and classified them into preceding surgery (PS, n=23), chemotherapy followed by a surgery (CS, n=27), and CT (n=17) groups. We examined the achievement of resection with [R (1)] or without [R (0)] intra-abdominal macroscopic residue and survival. The median survival time for R (0) was 44 (95% confidence interval [CI]=9–not available [NA]) months in the PS group and 27 (95% CI=11–NA) months in the CS group. The median survival time for R (1) was 9 (95% CI=0–24) months in the PS group and 12 (95% CI=7–19) months in the CS group. The similar prognosis in both groups was worse with R (1) than with R (0). The survival curve for R (1) in the resection groups was similar to that of the CT group. Conclusion Achieving resection without intra-abdominal macroscopic residue for endometrial cancer with distant metastases, whether before or after CT, could extend patients’ survival.