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Meta-Analysis
. 2022 Nov 14;19(22):14990.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph192214990.

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

Andrea Di Pilla  1   2 , Maria Rosaria Cozzolino  3 , Alice Mannocci  4 , Elettra Carini  5 , Federica Spina  6 , Francesco Castrini  2 , Albino Grieco  2 , Rosaria Messina  2 , Gianfranco Damiani  2   7 , Maria Lucia Specchia  1   2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

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

Andrea Di Pilla et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

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.

Keywords: breast cancer; diagnosis; healthcare; multidisciplinary team; outcomes; survival; treatment; tumor board.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flowchart of the included studies.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of adjusted HRs for breast cancer mortality among patients enrolled (experimental) vs. not enrolled (control) in MTBs [16,20,23].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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