Utility of a Multi-disciplinary Team Conference
Considering the complexity of head and neck oncologic care, a
multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach in diagnosis, treatment, and
survivorship care is essential. The MDT is generally composed of a
diverse set of specialists: ablative and reconstructive surgeons,
radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, neuroradiologists,
pathologists, supportive and palliative care staff, speech language
pathologists, nutritionists, dentists, and physical and occupational
therapists1-4. As head and neck oncologic staging and
treatment paradigms continue to evolve, there is a significant emphasis
on the value of a specialized multidisciplinary conference
(MDC)5. The inherent purpose of MDC is to serve as a
quality checkpoint: to ensure a thorough evaluation of each case
regardless of the spectrum of care, whether pre-treatment, treatment, or
survivorship. This entails ensuring proper diagnosis, staging, treatment
planning, clinical trial enrollment, care coordination, management of
treatment complications, evaluating disease response, recurrence
monitoring, and survivorship outcomes4. There is
strong evidence to suggest that MDC implementation may improve
pre-treatment evaluation (dental, nutrition)6, proper
staging7,8, and appropriate timely
treatment6-11. It may also affect disease specific
survival11,12 and overall
survival10-15 but this is controversial. As MDC usage
has become more widespread, academic institutions are beginning to
evaluate MDC quality measures with respect to guideline adherence and
patient outcomes13. Given its impact, MDC has become a
standard in head and neck oncologic care.