In a nutshell
The authors aimed to assess whether collaboration of different healthcare professionals can help treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients better and improve overall survival.
Some background
Treatment of NSCLC is decided based on the stage of the cancer. In the early stage (I/II), surgery and chemotherapy are the standard treatments. In the advanced stage (III/IV), radiation therapy and other treatments are also needed to ease the symptoms and improve the quality of life. Therefore, collaboration and coordination between different healthcare professionals is required at different stages of the cancer. This group of health professionals is called a multidisciplinary team (MDT) consisting of cancer specialists, radiotherapists, nurses, social workers and many other members. Previous studies have shown that MDT care can improve the overall survival in pancreatic and breast cancer patients. However, the effect of MDT care on different stages of NSCLC has not yet been evaluated.
Methods & findings
The bottom line
The authors concluded that participation in the MDT care program helped improve overall survival of patients at stage III and IV NSCLC.
The fine print
Several factors were not taken into account while adjusting the outcome of MDT care. These were smoking, occupation, specific lifestyles, and tumor locations among others. Also, change of physician/hospital during the course of treatment could have altered the quality of MDT care program.
Published By :
PLOS ONE
Date :
May 12, 2015
