Multidisciplinary Retroperitoneal and Pelvic Soft-Tissue Sarcoma Case Conferences: The Added Value that Radiologists Can Provide

Abstract

Clinical Vignette: A 50-year-old woman presents to the emergency department with increasing abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography imaging reveals an expanded inferior vena cava-filling defect that is suspicious for a retroperitoneal sarcoma, possibly a primary leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava. The surgery team discusses the case with the radiologist, and all agree that there are multiple challenges with obtaining a tissue diagnosis and determining resectability. Thus, it is decided that this patient should be discussed at a multidisciplinary case conference.In the present article, we feature a case-based scenario focusing on the role of the radiologist in this type of multidisciplinary team.

Multidisciplinary Conferences for Radiology Teaching: Why Medical Students Should See the Significance of Imaging and Lifelong Learning

“…Radiological imaging is imperative to provide diagnosis or differential diagnosis (Lim et al, 2017;Oleaga et al, 2019). Imaging is necessary for clinical decisions on the best possible recommendations and therapies as a multidisciplinary consensus at MCs (Rosell et al, 2019), and on follow up of first or further treatments (Choi & Filice, 2010;O'Keeffe & Munk, 2018).…”

“…Radiologists contribute to enhanced medical understanding for MC participants (Collins, 2009), aiming at collaborative patient management and improved patient outcome (Mazzaferro & Majno, 2011;Larson et al, 2017). Radiology is first in cancer detection , determining tumour invasion and chances of resecting (Lim et al, 2017). Radiology is involved in diagnosis and cancer staging with at least pathology, oncology, radiotherapy, nuclear therapy and surgery (Lesslie & Parikh, 2017).…”

“…Radiology provides other physicians involved in MCs with necessary initial or followup positron emission tomography examinations, e.g. on distant metastases (Buerke et al, 2011;Lim et al, 2017), and explains relevant details on ionizing radiation . Interventional neuroradiologists perform continuously refining interventions (O'Keeffe & Munk, 2018), and demonstrate before and after imaging at MCs.…”

“…Consequently, medical students at all departments are confronted with radiology. Imaging is imperative for diagnosis (Lim et al, 2017;Oleaga et al, 2019), and necessary for joint clinical decisions on therapy and treatment at multidisciplinary conferences (MCs) (Straus et al, 2014;Rosell et al, 2019). Velasco González et al emphasize that interventional neuroradiologists do no longer merely provide diagnostic decisions, but are increasingly active in allocating and accompanying therapeutic procedures (Velasco González et al, 2020).…”

“…Imaging cases demonstrated by radiologists and discussed with physicians at MCs (Collins, 2009;ESR, 2011), equal educational cases for students. Radiologists can facilitate educational opportunities to assist in MC preparation as to prepare students for efficient image interpreting and timely reporting (Oris et al, 2012;Nyhsen et al, 2013;Petsch et al, 2020b), and for a collaborative attitude in MC participation (Lim et al, 2017;Oeppen et al, 2019). Students have to learn that it comes down to extracting complex information for other physicians involved in MCs.…”