Multidisciplinary team meeting in digestive cancers: a 6-year experience in an Algerian reference cancer center

Abstract

Introduction: multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTs) are a cornerstone in oncology, ensuring collaborative and evidence-based decision-making. This work aimed to assess MDT activity across five centers: Tizi Ouzou, Béni Messous, Rouiba, Mustapha, and Bab El Oued. Methods: we conducted a retrospective descriptive analysis of MDT meeting reports from 2017 to 2023. The meetings were held at the oncology department of the Centre Pierre et Marie Curie (CPMC), Mustapha Hospital, Algiers, and involved five participating centers. Data were anonymised and included patient demographics, tumor characteristics, metastatic status, number of MDT discussions, and decisions made. Results: a total of 2,611 MDT reports were identified, corresponding to 1,938 patients from all over the country, with a slight majority of men (56%) and an average age of diagnosis of 59.9 years. Patients were mainly from the wilayas (provinces) of Algiers (61%) and Tizi Ouzou (11%), consistent with the geographical location of the center. Colon tumors were the most frequent (43%), followed by rectal tumors (21%), liver (15%) and pancreas (4%) cancers. Overall, 63% of patients displayed metastases, including liver (72%), lung (10%) and peritoneum (9%) metastases. Most metastatic cases had a single metastatic site (83%). Major MDT outcomes were treatment proposal (44%, including drug, surgery or radiology), additional examinations (43%) and diagnosis (9%). Applicability of MDT recommendations reached 57% overall, with consistent implementation proportions over MDT occurrences. While the median delay between diagnosis and first MDT presentation was 109 days (SD=620.6 days), decision turnaround time was of 1 day (SD=4.7 days). Conclusion: this analysis provides a comprehensive overview of MDT functioning in Algeria's largest oncology center. MDTs played a central role in treatment planning, particularly for colorectal cancer with liver metastases. However, underreporting of follow-up plans and the gap between proposals and implementation highlight areas for improvement. Strengthening MDT processes may optimise patient outcomes and alignment with international guidelines.