Multidisciplinary Team Meetings: Barriers to Implementation in Cancer Care

The multidisciplinary team meeting has become a fundamental component of cancer care across most of Europe, North America, and Australia. In certain institutions, it holds a mandatory role in the treatment planning of all patients with cancer. Although the multidisciplinary team meeting has demonstrated improved adherence to clinical protocols in the oncology field and serves as a valuable educational tool for clinicians, it is difficult to truly gauge its impact on clinical outcomes due to the wide heterogeneity in interinstitutional meeting practices and the varied data reporting clinical outcomes. This literature review will provide an overview of the history and contextual role of the multidisciplinary team meeting in cancer management and discuss the barriers to its implementation, offering means to navigate these barriers. This review will also explore the barriers to adherence to treatment recommendations offered by the multidisciplinary team meeting in cancer care, through the lens of the patient and health care provider.