The Association Between Conducting a Multidisciplinary Team Conference and Short- and Long-Term Outcomes After...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Health Services Research
• Clinical Decision-Making

Background:

• Elective colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment decisions are typically made in multidisciplinary team (MDT) conferences.
• This practice has been standard in Denmark since 2010 and recommended since 2016.
• The study evaluates the impact of MDT implementation on patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussions and patient outcomes following colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery.
• To compare outcomes for CRC patients who had undergone MDT discussion versus those who had not.

Main Methods:

• Utilized four nationwide observational health databases converted to a Common Data Model.
• Employed propensity score matching (1:1 ratio) to compare patients with and without MDT discussion.
• Analyzed outcomes including complications, return to intended oncological therapy (RIOT), mortality, and disease-free survival (DFS).

Main Results:

• 3143 patients were matched in each group for elective CRC surgery (2010-2019).
• No significant differences were observed in 90-day RIOT (HR 1.04), 1-year mortality (HR 0.952), 5-year mortality (HR 0.951), or DFS (HR 0.952).
• Complication rates (OR 0.982) and adjuvant therapy receipt (OR 1.02) also showed no significant differences.

Conclusions:

• Multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussions were not significantly associated with improved short- or long-term outcomes for colorectal cancer patients.
• The findings suggest that while MDT conferences are standard practice, their direct impact on key patient outcomes requires further investigation.