The multidisciplinary team meeting in the UK from the patients’ perspective: comments and observations from cholangiocarcinoma patients and their families

Helen Morement,1 Rachel Harrison,2 Simon D Taylor-Robinson3 1AMMF – The Cholangiocarcinoma Charity, Enterprise House, Stansted, Essex, 2Department of South East Asia, School of Oriental and African Studies, London, 3Division of Digestive Health, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK Background: The multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting has become the hallmark for cancer care in the UK. While standardizing care through adherence to guidelines, the MDT process can make the decision-making process somewhat remote from the patient perspective. The Cholangiocarcinoma Charity (AMMF) is the UK’s only cholangiocarcinoma charity and is at the forefront of patient empowerment for those with this condition and for their families. It provides much needed support not only via personal contact but also through its website and on the social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter. Methods: AMMF conducted a survey of patient attitudes to and experience of the MDT process through a simple questionnaire posted on Facebook in 2014. We report the results of the responses received, which we believe are worthy of further thought. Findings: In the main, while treatment decisions are not queried, there is distress at the lack of involvement, the lack of representation, the lack of communication and at not knowing who to approach for answers to questions. Conclusion: This snapshot, although small, provides some insight to clinicians not to forget the constituency they serve, as communication is all important. Keywords: cholangiocarcinoma, multidisciplinary team meeting, management, patient perspective

Setup of multidisciplinary team discussions for patients with cholangiocarcinoma: current practice and recommendations from the European Network for the Study of Cholangiocarcinoma (ENS-CCA)

Background: Cholangiocarcinomas (CCAs) are a rare group of malignancies characterized by dismal prognosis. There are currently no standardized guidelines for multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) in CCAs. Material and methods: An online survey was built with the aim of defining the current practice of MDTs in CCAs and identifying possible areas of improvement, providing minimum standards of practice for an ideal CCA MDT. Analysis of the replies regarding current and ideal MDT practice was carried out by calculating weighted average (WA) of likelihood of every item. The survey was shared with members of the European Network for the Study of Cholangiocarcinoma and other medical centers with expertise in biliary tract cancer part of the EURO-CHOLANGIO-NET (European Cholangiocarcinoma Network: https://eurocholangionet.eu/) COST Action CA18122 initiative. Results: The role of the MDT coordinator was a recognized priority in an ideal well-functioning MDT (WA 3.31/4), together with providing minimum clinical information before the meeting to secure adequate case preparation (WA 3.54/4). Optimal frequency of MDT meetings was weekly according to 76.92% of the participants; 73.06% believed that ideally all newly diagnosed patients and each new treatment should be discussed, although that happened only in less than half of the MDTs (46.15%) in current practice. Most participants stated that they always (46.15%) or often (50.00%) used guidelines, mainly international (61.00%) (European and American), followed by national/local (39.00%). We defined the ideal setup of a CCA MDT, identifying specialists whose presence is mandatory with WA >3.0 (oncologist, clinician responsible for patient's care, surgeon, diagnostic and interventional radiologist, hepatologist, pathologist, endoscopist and gastroenterologist) and those whose presence would be recommended with a WA <3.0 (palliative care, nurse, dietitian, basic researcher, psychologist and social worker). Conclusions: Our identified minimum requirements should be taken into account at the time of CCA MDT setup and quality assessment

Italian practical clinical guidelines on cholangiocarcinoma: Part II, Treatment

Currently, the only curative treatment for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is surgical resection, though this treatment is possible in less than 40% of patients. However, recent improvements in preoperative management have led to a higher number of patients who are candidates for this procedure. For unresectable patients, progress is ongoing in terms of locoregional and chemoradiation treatments and target therapies, especially in the definition of patient selection criteria. This is the second part of the Italian CCA guidelines, dealing with CCA treatment, that have been formulated in accordance with Italian National Institute of Health indications and developed according to the GRADE method and related advancements

Italian Clinical Practice Guidelines on Cholangiocarcinoma – Part I: Classification, diagnosis and staging

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the second most common primary liver cancer, characterized by a poor prognosis and resistance to chemotherapeutics. The progressive increase in CCA incidence and mortality registered worldwide in the last two decades and the need to clarify various aspects of clinical management have prompted the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver (AISF) to commission the drafting of dedicated guidelines in collaboration with a group of Italian scientific societies. These guidelines have been formulated in accordance with the Italian National Institute of Health indications and developed by following the GRADE method and related advancements