The current role of radiologists in a multidisciplinary team treating breast cancer

Abstract

In the last decade, advances in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer have achieved a significant increase in the general and disease-free survival of affected women but have also increased the complexity of therapeutic decisions. The decision-making process requires agreement between the physicians involved in the management of these patients.Radiologists must understand what other physicians expect and inform them about the usefulness of imaging modalities. This review attempts to provide an update on these subjects.

Compliance with multidisciplinary team recommendations and disease outcomes in early breast cancer patients: An analysis of 4501 consecutive patients

“…The MDT recommendations for chemotherapy may be diverse but there is a high rate of non-compliance with chemotherapy. Many factors are considered in the decision-making process for adjuvant chemotherapy [ 15 ] and patients may suffer from chemotherapy side effects, such as fatigue [ 16 , 17 ], which results in a low rate of compliance. A previous study showed that, among selected patients with early breast cancer, 7% of patients did not complete adjuvant chemotherapy [ 18 ].…”

“…This might reflect the patient’s awareness and experience of previous breast diseases, and may encourage them to accept the recommended therapy. The Ki-67 labeling index is associated with the prognosis and can influence systemic treatment decisions [ 15 , 21 ]. In this study, a high Ki-67 labeling index was associated with a higher rate of compliance with MDT recommendations.…”