Multidisciplinary approach helps cancer patients
Monday, January 25, 2010 at 19:53 Being a nearly eight year survivor of Stage IIIa Breast Cancer, and having had all treatment at The University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, I’m a huge believer in the multidisciplinary model of treating cancer. I believe it was a crucial part of my survival and recovery.
It makes so much sense. Get all the practictioners in there to consult and confer as a team right from the start. About every other appointment for Chemotherapy, I would first be seen by my Clinical Oncologist, then a team of doctors ( radiation oncologisty, oncological surgeon, plastic surgeon, pathologist, nutritionist and others ) would come round to evaluate me, and then step into another room where my primary Oncologist would, essentially, defend her case.
By the time I was ready to proceed to each subsequent step in the process of arresting my cancer, the doctor that I was ‘handed off’ to was already very familiar with me and my case. The close working relationships were standard operating procedure all the way through my treatment and recovery phases.
Unfortunately, this type of treatment isn’t usually available outside of a teaching hospital. When you are a patient of the average local practictioner, he may confer with other collegues or not. Your case may reach the local ‘tumor board’ for evaluation or not.
Multidisciplinary teams should be the Standard of Care. This goes for breast cancer or prostate cancer as you can read below.
maven
When Specialists Confer, Patients Benefit
Network - Winter 2010
By Mary Brolley
It all started with feedback.
For several years, Deborah Kuban, M.D., asked men who’d been treated for prostate cancer at M. D. Anderson how they felt about it.