The Impact of Tumor Boards on Breast Cancer Care: Evidence from a Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women, with a complex clinical path that involves several professionals and that requires a multidisciplinary approach. However, the effectiveness of breast cancer multidisciplinary care and the processes that contribute to its effectiveness have not yet been firmly determined. This study aims to evaluate the impact of multidisciplinary tumor boards on breast cancer care outcomes. A systematic literature review was carried out through Scopus, Web of Science and Pubmed databases. The search was restricted to articles assessing the impact of MTB implementation on breast cancer care. Fourteen studies were included in the review. The most analyzed outcomes were diagnosis, therapy and survival. Four out of four studies showed that, with implementation of an MTB, there was a change in diagnosis, and all reported changes in the treatment plan after MTB implementation. A pooled analysis of three studies reporting results on the outcome “mortality” showed a statistically significant 14% reduction in mortality relative risk for patients enrolled versus not enrolled in an MTB. This study shows that MTB implementation is a valuable approach to deliver appropriate and effective care to patients affected by breast cancer and to improve their outcomes.

Multidisciplinary Treatment of Fracture-Related Infection Has a Positive Impact on Clinical Outcome—A Retrospective Case Control Study at a Tertiary Referral Center

“…In oncology, the evidence of the apparent benefit was initially difficult to demonstrate. However, time and further studies have shown the benefits of the MDT approach in several oncology subdisciplines [13,[36][37][38].…”

“…Therefore, involvement of experts in the respective field is considered a key element to successful treatment. In oncology, tumor boards have been established and proven to be a useful tool to improve treatment in terms of reduced mortality by discussing cases in a multidisciplinary setting [12,13].…”

Role of the Molecular Tumor Board for the Personalized Treatment of Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Focus on the State of the Art in Italy

“…Breast cancer is the most diagnosed malignancy in women. In 2020, 2.3 million new cases of breast cancer were estimated, and there were 683,000 deaths from this disease, while approximately 7.8 million women were alive with a diagnosis of breast cancer [ 1 ]. In Italy, in 2020, approximately 55,000 new diagnoses of breast cancer and approximately 12,300 deaths were estimated; in addition, more than 834,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer were alive.…”

“…In particular, the incidence increases until menopause and then slows down after, and starts to rise again after the age of 60 [ 2 , 3 ]. The risk factors include age, reproductive factors, hormonal factors, dietary and metabolic factors, previous thoracic radiation therapy, previous dysplasia or breast cancer, family history, and genetic factors [ 1 ].…”