ePoster
Presentation Description
Institution: Department of Surgery, Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District - NSW, Australia
Purpose: This study focuses on the impact of prompt referrals to Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs) on survival outcomes of breast cancer patients. While referring patients to MDTs is crucial, the timing of these referrals is equally critical and serves as an independent predictor of patient survival. This study aims to investigate the significance of timely MDT referrals affecting breast cancer patient survival.
Methodology: Electronic medical records of 515 patients who underwent breast-related surgeries at Wollongong Hospital or Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital from January 2010 to December 2014 were examined. Propensity Score Matching was utilised to control for confounders, including age, comorbidities count, TNM staging, cancer type, and the time from surgery to MDT consultation. Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-square test were applied for the analysis of continuous and categorical data, respectively.
Results: While the patient group that received timely referrals to an MDT demonstrated a higher survival rate, and there was a negative correlation observed between the duration from diagnosis to MDT referral and the survival rate, these variations did not reach statistical significance. However, the time interval between diagnosis and referral to the MDT significantly affected the survival length, presenting a notable statistical impact (T: 2.592, P: 0.010).
Conclusion: The study reveals that timely MDT referrals significantly prolong the survival time of breast cancer patients, although not directly increase survival rates. It advocates refining the MDT referral system with an automatic "opt-out" model to ensure patients do not miss this vital chance to potentially extend their lifespan.
Speakers
Authors
Authors
Dr Ting Song - , Dr Kimberley J Davis - , Ms Rebekah Costelloe - , Prof Ping Yu - , Ms Chantal Campbell - , Dr Glaucia Fylyk - , A/Prof Steven J Craig -