In:
Journal of Oncology Practice, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Vol. 6, No. 6 ( 2010-11), p. 288-292
Abstract:
Neoadjuvant therapy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma requires referral to multiple specialists before initiating therapy. We evaluated the effect of establishing a multidisciplinary clinic (MDC) for patients with newly diagnosed pancreatic adenocarcinoma on treatment access and time to therapy. Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed pancreatic adenocarcinoma diagnosed and treated at our center were included. Two patient groups were defined: preclinic represented those patients diagnosed before 2008 and MDC represented those patients diagnosed since 2009 who were treated in the newly created MDC and were initially candidates for neoadjuvant therapy. The primary outcomes were days from diagnosis to first treatment (initiation of chemotherapy or external beam radiation), days to completion of all required consultations, and number of visits needed before initiation of therapy. Results: Ninety-seven patients were diagnosed and treated at our medical center from 2003 to 2008; 22 were treated in 2009 after the implementation of the MDC. Compared with the preclinic group, patients treated in the MDC had shorter times from biopsy to treatment (7.7 days v 29.5 days, P 〈 .001), shorter time to completion of all required pretreatment consultations (7.1 days v 13.9 days, P 〈 .001), and fewer visits to complete all consultations (1.1 v 4.3, P 〈 .001). Thirty-three percent of patients seen in the MDC enrolled onto clinical research trials. Conclusion: In patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma undergoing neoadjuvant therapy, the establishment of a multidisciplinary pancreas tumor clinic led to improved patient access to consultations and shorter time to initial treatment.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1554-7477
,
1935-469X
DOI:
10.1200/JOP.2010.000041
Language:
English
Publisher:
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
Publication Date:
2010
detail.hit.zdb_id:
3005549-0
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2236338-5
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