The management of gynaecological and other cancers are progressively becoming more complex due to both the breadth of treatment options available and the increasing complexity of patients that require care. Whilst traditionally decisions were made solely by individual clinicians more and more collaborative multidisciplinary decision making is now utilized. The multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting describes a structured expertise led decision making process employing the breadth of specialists delivering the diagnostic and treatment modalities available to enable a tailored plan of management for that specific patient. Such multidisciplinary teams have, over the last 30 years, become the central decision making and quality assurance process in the management of patients affected by gynaecological and other cancers. In order for such meetings to be effective there are key roles, processes and behaviors that are required to enable effective team working. However, the decision made by the MDT are not legally binding and must be discussed with the patients using the usual principles of informed consent. Whilst MDTs are considered to be the “gold standard” of cancer management with increasing patient volumes and complexity ensuring that a quality, well considered, expert led decision is made will be the next challenge to the modern MDT.
Keywords
- Multidisciplinary
- Case conference
- MDT
- Cancer conference
- Tumour board
- Gynaecological oncology