Implementation of a virtual tumor board through VA National TeleOncology service.

Abstract

e13571 Background: Multidisciplinary tumor boards are critical to optimize treatment of patients with malignancies. The Veterans Affairs (VA) National TeleOncology (NTO) service was created to provide equitable, state of the art oncologic care virtually to centers across the largest integrated health care system in the US. According to American Society of Clinical Oncology report, 66% of rural counties have no oncologist. Fifty-six percent of Veterans who received cancer care through NTO in 2022 lived in rural areas. We describe a virtual multi-institutional, multidisciplinary tumor board across several malignancies. Through NTO, virtual tumor board (VTB) demonstrates a novel approach to leveraging nationwide oncologic expertise to support patients receiving cancer care at VA Medical Centers (VAMC) across the US. Methods: A VTB was conducted with participation of multiple VAMCs throughout the US. There were five separate VTB oncologic sub-specialties: hematologic, breast/gynecologic, CNS, thoracic and cutaneous malignancies. Each case was presented by the treating provider or designated representative. Pathology and pertinent imaging were reviewed and presented by disease-specific expert specialists. Core attendees included medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, genetic counselors, clinical pharmacists, advanced practice providers and nurses. VTB records were analyzed from VTB inception on March 1, 2022 to February 1, 2024. Data collected included attendance and case presentation information. Results: A total of 113 VTB sessions were conducted every 2 weeks to monthly depending on specialty (35 hematologic, 32 beast/gyn, 24 thoracic, 13 CNS, 9 cutaneous malignancies) with a total of 233 patient cases presented from 51 VA facilities in 33 states and Puerto Rico. The total unique attendees were 468 in 41 states, DC and Puerto Rico. The highest case volume per VA location were from Durham, Houston, Pittsburgh, Sioux Falls and Salem. The highest attendee locations included Durham, Boston, Palo Alto, Pittsburgh, and Richmond. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the feasibility of a national multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary VTB. Tumor board sessions provide access to specialized oncologic expertise with the goal of improving cancer care across the entire VA healthcare system. Further growth of national VTB to increase participation at additional sites and incorporated discussion of clinical trials is ongoing. Future research evaluating quality and outcomes for those cases discussed at VTB will be considered.