Current alignment between the practice patterns of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer clinical investigators (CI) and general medical oncologists (MO) in the treatment of metastatic GI cancers.

Abstract

724 Background: CI with an interest in specific cancers amass a unique body of knowledge and relevant experiences that may make their practice patterns different from those of MO. This initiative sought to document and compare the stated management approaches of CI and MO. Methods: InMay 2016, as part of a continuing medical education (CME) project, 31 CI elected to complete a 78-item survey assessing their usual treatments for various metastatic colorectal, gastric and pancreatic cancer clinical scenarios. A stipend was provided for participation. On June 4, 2016, 13 clinical questions from the CI survey were posed to 140 MO, 103 US-based and 37 non-US-based, prior to a CME symposium on GI cancers. Responses of the groups were compared. Results: For 10 out of 13 questions, there was relative concordance between CI and MO responses. However,for 3 there was considerable variation (see Table). Conclusions: Although CI and MO approach the care of many patients with GI cancers in a similar manner, important and noteworthy variations exist. These findings indicate that the documentation and comparison of treatment recommendations could be a novel strategy to elucidate misalignment between CI and MO and impel either or both to rethink current approaches. Additional work is needed to validate these findings and understand potential implications and applications. [Table: see text]