The effect of multidisciplinary team on survival rates of women with breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is quite frequent all around the world. This disease was responsible for an estimated 2.1 million malignancies in 2022, making it the seventh-highest cause of cancer deaths globally. A multidisciplinary team (MDT) care policy was developed in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1995 to enhance the quality of care for cancer patients. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis study is to assess the effects of MDT on breast cancer survival rates. Methods: This study was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020. Systematic search was conducted in several international databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Proquest from 2012 to 2022. The authors used RevMan 5.4 to do the meta-analysis of the pooled hazard ratio. Newcastle–Ottawa Scale to measure the risk of bias. Newcastle–Ottawa Scale evaluated participant selection, comparability, and reporting of results using eight subscale items. Egger’s test funnel plot was used to assess the potential publication bias for this study. Results: A total of 1187 studies were identified from research database. The authors found a total of six studies from six different countries (China, the UK, Taiwan, Australia, Africa, and France) included for this study. Based on the meta-analysis of the pooled hazard ratio of the included studies, the authors found that the overall effect size of the study was 0.80 (CI 95%: 0.73–0.88). Conclusions: Breast cancer patients who participated in well-organized MDT discussions had a greater survival rate than those who did not.

Towards Agility in Breast Cancer Treatment Principles as Adopted from Agile Software Engineering

“…25 In short, involving patients in MDT communication has enhanced and improved their quality of life and survival rate. [76][77][78][79][80] A patient-centric process empowers BCT, and this supports addressing the agility perspective in BCT. Good, shared decisions are made based on good collaborations.…”

“…145 Practicing a multidisciplinary approach in BCT has shown strong clinical evidence in improving BC diagnosis accuracy, BCT plan design, and patient health outcomes, resulting in higher survival rates. 76 , 78 , 79 , 146 Accuracy in diagnosis is higher and patient outcomes are improved when patient information is examined by multidisciplinary specialists with diverse backgrounds of knowledge and experience, particularly in the field of breast cancer. 76 , 78 , 79 , 146 Due to economic challenges, MDT workload, and the continuous need for MDTs, a virtual MDT has been developed.…”

“… 76 , 78 , 79 , 146 Accuracy in diagnosis is higher and patient outcomes are improved when patient information is examined by multidisciplinary specialists with diverse backgrounds of knowledge and experience, particularly in the field of breast cancer. 76 , 78 , 79 , 146 Due to economic challenges, MDT workload, and the continuous need for MDTs, a virtual MDT has been developed. 141 This supports agility in BCT.…”

“… 25 , 146 This increases the participants’ learning curve and efficiency throughout the course of time; this, in turn, is reflected in their decisions regarding BCT plan design and patient outcomes. 79 An MD approach is widely and internationally adopted due to its benefits for both patient health outcomes and MDT members. 146 …”

“…71 The MDT model emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance patient outcomes, improve quality of life, and increase survival rate and experiences. 76,[78][79][80]130 Patient engagement and SDM contribute to sustaining constant rhythm and quality of care in the BCT life cycle. 25 Working together is much more than "policies, strategies, structures and processes".…”