Visual pathology reports for improved collaboration at multidisciplinary head and neck tumor board

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pathology
• Medical Education

Background:

• Multidisciplinary tumor boards (TB) are crucial for complex head and neck cancer case discussions.
• Current TB practices review imaging and pathology but lack visualization of the resected tumor specimen.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of incorporating visual pathology reports into weekly multidisciplinary tumor board discussions.
• To assess the impact of visual pathology reports on provider understanding of resected cancer specimens.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study was conducted over 10 weeks involving faculty participants.
• Participants completed pre- and post-surveys to measure understanding of resected cancer specimens.
• Visual pathology reports were introduced as an intervention during tumor board meetings.

Main Results:

• Twenty-five providers from seven specialties participated.
• Significant improvements were observed in understanding of specimen orientation (47.4% to 96.1%) and margin sampling sites (p < 0.001).
• Providers showed enhanced ability to locate positive margins (69.5% to 91.1%) and increased confidence in treatment plans (69.5% to 89.2%, p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Visual pathology reports demonstrably improve provider comprehension of resected cancer specimens.
• Integrating visual pathology enhances the effectiveness of multidisciplinary tumor boards for head and neck cancers.