Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Clinic: A Novel Approach to Decrease Time to Intervention

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Oncology
• Clinical Management

Background:

• Multidisciplinary clinics (MDCs) are established at high-volume centers to enhance breast cancer patient care.
• This model involves patients seeing multiple subspecialists in a single visit.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the experience and impact of a multidisciplinary clinic (MDC) for breast cancer care.
• To assess the efficiency of the MDC model in optimizing patient treatment timelines.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 492 patients with newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer.
• Data collected from January 1, 2020, to September 1, 2022.
• Comparison of time intervals to intervention for patients managed within the MDC.

Main Results:

• Patients in the MDC experienced a 3-day reduction from biopsy to clinic visit.
• A 5-day decrease was observed in the time from diagnosis to neoadjuvant chemotherapy initiation.
• The time from surgery clinic visit to operation was reduced by 21 days.

Conclusions:

• The multidisciplinary clinic (MDC) model demonstrates a significant decrease in time to intervention for breast cancer patients.
• Early experience suggests this approach optimizes breast cancer care pathways.
• Further evaluation is warranted to confirm long-term benefits.