Abstract 4973: Impact of technology on quality of thoracic multidisciplinary cancer conferences

Abstract

Abstract Background: Complex cancer cases require discussion at Multidisciplinary Cancer Conferences (MCCs) to determine the best management. The study aim was to assess the impact of navify® tumor board solution (NTBS) technology on the quality of information presented, case discussions, and care plans at thoracic MCCs. Methods: Between September 2020 and February 2022, using a before-after study design, we prospectively collected data through direct observation of thoracic MCCs at an academic cancer center. The NTBS technology was introduced in March of 2021. Additionally, we reviewed medical records to assess several factors including the rate of change in care plans as decided by the MCC, compliance of all care plans with national guidelines, and concordance of treatment received with MCC recommendations. Observational data was collected via a validated tool “Metric for the Observation of Decision-Making". We used SAS v9.4 (Cary, NC) for statistical analyses. Results: We identified 151 and 166 thoracic cancer cases before and after implementation of NTBS, respectively. The overall quality of case presentation and discussion, represented by a mean composite score (the summation of individual variables scored on a 1-5 scale, poor to excellent), increased from 56.8 to 82.0 (p<.001). This improvement was also observed across multiple sub-components of the composite score including case history (3.4 vs 4.6), reason for presentation (3.2 vs 4.6), comorbidities/performance status/psychosocial information (2.8 vs 4.2), patient views (1.2 vs 3.3), radiology and pathology presentations (3.5 vs 4.8 and 3.2 vs 4.4, respectively), and contribution from surgical, medical, and radiation oncologists (3.9 vs 4.3, 3.3 vs 3.8, and 3.5 vs 3.8, respectively), as well as the moderation by the MCC chair (4.9 vs 5.0). All these results were statistically significant with p<.001. There was no statistically significant difference between the two cohorts in rate of change in care plans by the MCC, care plan compliance with national guidelines, and concordance of treatment received with MCC recommendations. Conclusion: Technology improves the quality of information and discussion at tumor boards. However, this study did not demonstrate an impact on compliance with practice guidelines. Practitioners should explore the available tumor board technology platforms to optimize the conduct of MCCs in their respective institutions. Citation Format: Opuruiche Ibekwe, Carmelo Gaudioso, Kristopher M. Attwood, Saraswati Pokharel, Charles L. Roche, Chukwumere E. Nwogu. Impact of technology on quality of thoracic multidisciplinary cancer conferences [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 4973.