Benefits of a multidisciplinary approach to breast care

The University of Michigan Breast Care Center (BCC) was established in 1985 to provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of benign and malignant breast disease. This work presents an overview of our experience in the BCC and assesses the clinical, academic, financial, and educational effectiveness of the program. A database was used to generate a list of all patients seen in the BCC between February 1, 1985 and December 31, 1991. Participating departments provided information regarding outpatient, inpatient, clinical and consultative activities, and referral patterns attributable to BCC endeavors. BCC educational and academic activities were reviewed and profiled. Clinical information was culled from the BCC database, hospital records, and the hospital tumor registry. The BCC has resulted in a fivefold increase in breast care related activity at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Over half of the patients treated in the BCC with primary operable breast cancer receive breast-conserving therapy. The BCC performs a unique educational function, providing the primary breast care experience for house staff as well as one third of the third year medical school class. The BCC supports over 20 clinical research protocols, and patient enrollment in clinical trials has increased dramatically since 1985. The BCC also provides support to basic science researchers receiving over 2.5 million dollars in peer reviewed direct cost support. These data suggest that a multidisciplinary approach to patient care as embodied by the BCC can be clinically, financially, and academically superior and productive. This model warrants further investigation not only in the field of breast care, but also in other clinical situations that require multidisciplinary input and therapy.