A Multicenter Virtual Multidisciplinary Sarcoma Case Conference Improves Outcome for a Rare Soft Tissue Sarcoma...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Pathology
• Medical Informatics

Background:

• Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare skin cancer.
• Optimizing DFSP patient outcomes requires multidisciplinary care coordination.
• Virtual multidisciplinary sarcoma case conferences (VMSCC) offer a novel approach to care coordination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of VMSCC implementation on DFSP patient outcomes.
• To compare surgical margin status and disease-free survival (DFS) before and after VMSCC adoption.
• To assess changes in local recurrence rates for DFSP patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of two DFSP patient cohorts (2010-2015 and 2016-2020).
• Comparison of margin status and DFS using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression.
• VMSCC implementation occurred between the two study periods at Kaiser Permanente Northern California.

Main Results:

• No significant demographic or tumor characteristic differences between cohorts.
• A significant reduction in positive surgical margins from 6.5% to 0.8%.
• A significant decrease in local recurrence rates from 6.3% to 0% post-VMSCC.

Conclusions:

• VMSCC implementation is associated with improved surgical and oncologic outcomes for DFSP.
• VMSCC facilitates better management of complex sarcoma cases.
• Virtual multidisciplinary conferences represent a valuable tool in optimizing cancer care delivery.