Uro-Oncology Multidisciplinary Team Meetings at an Australian Tertiary Centre: A Detailed Analysis of Cases, Decision Outcomes, Impacts on Patient Treatment, Documentation, and Clinician Attendance

Abstract

Objectives: There is currently limited local and international literature on the characteristics of uro-oncology multi-disciplinary team meetings (MDTMs) and their impact on clinical decision making. The aims of this study were to provide a comprehensive descriptive analysis of MDTMs at an Australian tertiary hospital over a 12-month period and their impacts on patient management, and to evaluate adherence to MDTM plans. Methods: We conducted a review of a prospectively maintained database of all uro-oncology MDTMs held within the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NALHN) over a 12-month period in 2020–2021. Results: During this 12-month period, 24 MDT meetings were conducted, in which 280 patients were discussed. Overall, MDTMs resulted in modifications to the management of 25.7% of patients, which was consistent across all three major tumour streams (24% for prostate cancer, 29% for renal cell carcinoma, and 22% for urothelial carcinoma). MDTMs also facilitated cross referrals between specialties for 105 patients (37.5%), including 5 patients who were considered for entry into clinical trials. There was a high acceptance rate, with adherence to MDT recommendations for 270 of the 278 patients discussed (96.4%). MDTM plans were fully implemented within a 6-month period. Conclusions: We provided a detailed analysis of uro-oncology MDTMs at an Australian tertiary referral centre, demonstrating that MDTMs facilitate optimal cancer management for patients with urological cancers.

Keywords

• multidisciplinary team meetings
• urology
• oncology