{"entity":{"id":"multidisciplinary-tumour-board","kind":"technology","name":"Multidisciplinary tumour boards","aka":[],"tldr":"Multidisciplinary tumour boards are regular meetings where surgeons, oncologists, radiologists and pathologists review each patient's case with the full dataset and agree a plan before treatment starts. They are mandatory in the UK and for accreditation in the US, Europe and Germany, and change the diagnosis or plan in 10 to 30% of cases, though randomised evidence is lacking.","summary":"Multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings became mandatory in the UK after the Calman-Hine report (1995) and are required for accreditation by the ACoS Commission on Cancer, OECI and German certified centres. Observational evidence links MDT review to changed diagnoses or plans in 10-30% of cases, better staging completeness, higher guideline adherence and, in some cohorts, improved survival (e.g. colorectal, lung, oesophageal), though randomised evidence is lacking. Molecular tumour boards (since ~2012) interpret genomic profiling; virtual and regional MDTs extend expertise to smaller hospitals; AI-assisted case preparation and decision support (e.g. Watson for Oncology, later withdrawn) have been tested. Challenges: time cost, variable quality, patient absence from discussion.","status":"standard-of-care","asOf":"2026-09-08","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumor_board","links":[{"label":"MDT effectiveness review (BMJ 2010)","url":"https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c951"},{"label":"Molecular tumour boards (JCO Precision Oncology)","url":"https://doi.org/10.1200/po.20.00495"},{"label":"Macmillan: the multidisciplinary team for bowel cancer","url":"https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/bowel-cancer/multidisciplinary-team-for-bowel-cancer"},{"label":"NICE NG151: colorectal cancer, recommendations","url":"https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng151/chapter/Recommendations"},{"label":"NICE NG122: lung cancer, management","url":"https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng122/chapter/Management"},{"label":"Lymphoma Action: your medical team","url":"https://lymphoma-action.org.uk/information-and-support/tests-scans-and-lymphoma-staging/your-medical-team-mdt"},{"label":"NICE NG47: haematological cancers, improving outcomes","url":"https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng47"}],"tags":["gap-fill"],"related":[],"cancers":["colorectal","lung-cancer","nsclc","sclc","non-hodgkin-lymphoma","dlbcl","follicular-lymphoma","mantle-cell-lymphoma","marginal-zone-lymphoma","malt-lymphoma","splenic-marginal-zone-lymphoma","nodal-marginal-zone-lymphoma","waldenstrom","primary-mediastinal-b-cell-lymphoma","burkitt-lymphoma","hodgkin-lymphoma","early-stage-classical-hodgkin-lymphoma","advanced-stage-classical-hodgkin-lymphoma","relapsed-refractory-hodgkin-lymphoma","nodular-lymphocyte-predominant-hodgkin-lymphoma","peripheral-t-cell-lymphoma","angioimmunoblastic-t-cell-lymphoma","cutaneous-t-cell-lymphoma","sezary-syndrome","primary-cns-lymphoma"],"sections":["diagnostics"],"technologies":["cgp","digital-pathology-ai","telehealth-oncology"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":["palitra-bio","pathfinder-oncology","private-health-management","private-medical"],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":["standard-of-care"],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":["paper-taylor-bmj","paper-larson-jco-precis-oncol"],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":["Bowel cancer: Macmillan describes the bowel cancer multidisciplinary team, and NICE NG151 requires multidisciplinary discussion at the points where the answer changes a life: resection of liver metastases by a team with expertise in resection of disease in all involved sites, lung metastases with a thoracic surgeon and a specialist in non-surgical ablation, peritoneal disease with referral to a nationally commissioned specialist centre, and locally advanced or recurrent rectal cancer with referral for exenterative surgery.","Lung cancer: NICE NG122 (1.6.1) says to ensure that all people whose condition is potentially suitable for multimodality treatment (surgery, radiotherapy and systemic anticancer therapy in any combination) are assessed by a thoracic oncologist and by a thoracic surgeon, and (1.6.6) that teams providing chemoradiotherapy with surgery should have expertise in multimodality treatment and in all of the individual components. Being seen by both a surgeon and an oncologist is the standard, not a second opinion.","Lymphoma: Lymphoma Action describes who sits on a lymphoma multidisciplinary team and what each member does, and NICE NG47 sets out how haematological cancer services are organised around specialist multidisciplinary teams. Eligibility for engineered T-cell therapy is decided differently again: Lymphoma Action says the referring doctor discusses the case with a national panel of clinical experts, which considers general health, test results and scans."],"principle":"Structured, prospective case review by all relevant specialties with the full dataset (imaging, pathology, molecular, comorbidity) to produce a consensus, guideline-referenced recommendation before treatment starts.","strengths":["Changes management in a meaningful minority","Improves staging and guideline adherence","Molecular tumour boards make genomics actionable"],"limitations":["No randomised evidence of survival benefit","Time-consuming; variable case preparation","Patient preferences may be under-represented"],"since":1995},"route":"/technologies/multidisciplinary-tumour-board/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"advanced-stage-classical-hodgkin-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Advanced-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma (stage III to IV)","route":"/cancers/advanced-stage-classical-hodgkin-lymphoma/"},{"id":"basal-cell-carcinoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Basal cell carcinoma","route":"/cancers/basal-cell-carcinoma/"},{"id":"breast-cancer","kind":"cancer","name":"Breast cancer (all types)","route":"/cancers/breast-cancer/"},{"id":"burkitt-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Burkitt lymphoma","route":"/cancers/burkitt-lymphoma/"},{"id":"colorectal","kind":"cancer","name":"Colorectal cancer","route":"/cancers/colorectal/"},{"id":"cutaneous-scc","kind":"cancer","name":"Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma","route":"/cancers/cutaneous-scc/"},{"id":"cutaneous-t-cell-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome)","route":"/cancers/cutaneous-t-cell-lymphoma/"},{"id":"dlbcl","kind":"cancer","name":"Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma","route":"/cancers/dlbcl/"},{"id":"early-stage-classical-hodgkin-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Early-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma (stage I to II)","route":"/cancers/early-stage-classical-hodgkin-lymphoma/"},{"id":"malt-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma)","route":"/cancers/malt-lymphoma/"},{"id":"follicular-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Follicular lymphoma","route":"/cancers/follicular-lymphoma/"},{"id":"gallbladder","kind":"cancer","name":"Gallbladder cancer","route":"/cancers/gallbladder/"},{"id":"hodgkin-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Hodgkin lymphoma","route":"/cancers/hodgkin-lymphoma/"},{"id":"lung-cancer","kind":"cancer","name":"Lung cancer (all types)","route":"/cancers/lung-cancer/"},{"id":"mantle-cell-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Mantle cell lymphoma","route":"/cancers/mantle-cell-lymphoma/"},{"id":"marginal-zone-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Marginal zone lymphoma","route":"/cancers/marginal-zone-lymphoma/"},{"id":"nodal-marginal-zone-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Nodal marginal zone lymphoma","route":"/cancers/nodal-marginal-zone-lymphoma/"},{"id":"angioimmunoblastic-t-cell-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Nodal T-follicular helper cell lymphoma, angioimmunoblastic type (angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma)","route":"/cancers/angioimmunoblastic-t-cell-lymphoma/"},{"id":"nodular-lymphocyte-predominant-hodgkin-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (nodular lymphocyte-predominant B-cell lymphoma)","route":"/cancers/nodular-lymphocyte-predominant-hodgkin-lymphoma/"},{"id":"non-hodgkin-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (all types)","route":"/cancers/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/"},{"id":"nsclc","kind":"cancer","name":"Non-small-cell lung cancer","route":"/cancers/nsclc/"},{"id":"pancreatic","kind":"cancer","name":"Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma","route":"/cancers/pancreatic/"},{"id":"peripheral-t-cell-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (including cutaneous T-cell lymphoma)","route":"/cancers/peripheral-t-cell-lymphoma/"},{"id":"primary-cns-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Primary CNS lymphoma","route":"/cancers/primary-cns-lymphoma/"},{"id":"primary-mediastinal-b-cell-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Primary mediastinal (thymic) large B-cell lymphoma","route":"/cancers/primary-mediastinal-b-cell-lymphoma/"},{"id":"prostate","kind":"cancer","name":"Prostate cancer","route":"/cancers/prostate/"},{"id":"relapsed-refractory-hodgkin-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Relapsed and refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma","route":"/cancers/relapsed-refractory-hodgkin-lymphoma/"},{"id":"sezary-syndrome","kind":"cancer","name":"Sezary syndrome","route":"/cancers/sezary-syndrome/"},{"id":"skin-cancer","kind":"cancer","name":"Skin cancer (all types)","route":"/cancers/skin-cancer/"},{"id":"sclc","kind":"cancer","name":"Small-cell lung cancer","route":"/cancers/sclc/"},{"id":"splenic-marginal-zone-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Splenic marginal zone lymphoma","route":"/cancers/splenic-marginal-zone-lymphoma/"},{"id":"tnbc","kind":"cancer","name":"Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)","route":"/cancers/tnbc/"},{"id":"waldenstrom","kind":"cancer","name":"Waldenström macroglobulinaemia","route":"/cancers/waldenstrom/"}],"section":[{"id":"diagnostics","kind":"section","name":"Diagnostics & Biomarkers","route":"/fronts/diagnostics/"}],"technology":[{"id":"cgp","kind":"technology","name":"Comprehensive genomic profiling","route":"/technologies/cgp/"},{"id":"digital-pathology-ai","kind":"technology","name":"Digital pathology & AI","route":"/technologies/digital-pathology-ai/"},{"id":"g8-geriatric-screening","kind":"technology","name":"G8 geriatric screening tool","route":"/technologies/g8-geriatric-screening/"},{"id":"telehealth-oncology","kind":"technology","name":"Telehealth and hospital-at-home in oncology","route":"/technologies/telehealth-oncology/"}],"company":[{"id":"palitra-bio","kind":"company","name":"Palitra Bio","route":"/companies/palitra-bio/"},{"id":"pathfinder-oncology","kind":"company","name":"Pathfinder Oncology","route":"/companies/pathfinder-oncology/"},{"id":"private-health-management","kind":"company","name":"Private Health Management","route":"/companies/private-health-management/"},{"id":"private-medical","kind":"company","name":"Private Medical","route":"/companies/private-medical/"}],"term":[{"id":"lymphoma-decision-trial","kind":"term","name":"A clinical trial or standard treatment in lymphoma","route":"/terms/lymphoma-decision-trial/"},{"id":"resectability","kind":"term","name":"Resectable, borderline resectable and unresectable","route":"/terms/resectability/"},{"id":"standard-of-care","kind":"term","name":"Standard of care","route":"/terms/standard-of-care/"},{"id":"skin-cancer-high-risk-features","kind":"term","name":"What makes a skin cancer high risk: the UK feature lists","route":"/terms/skin-cancer-high-risk-features/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-larson-jco-precis-oncol","kind":"paper","name":"Clinical Outcomes of Molecular Tumor Boards: A Systematic Review","route":"/key-papers/paper-larson-jco-precis-oncol/"},{"id":"paper-taylor-bmj","kind":"paper","name":"Multidisciplinary team working in cancer: what is the evidence?","route":"/key-papers/paper-taylor-bmj/"}],"institution":[{"id":"asthra-health","kind":"institution","name":"Asthra Health","route":"/institutions/asthra-health/"},{"id":"docrates","kind":"institution","name":"Docrates Cancer Center","route":"/institutions/docrates/"},{"id":"koo-foundation-sun-yat-sen-cancer-center","kind":"institution","name":"Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center","route":"/institutions/koo-foundation-sun-yat-sen-cancer-center/"},{"id":"oncozon","kind":"institution","name":"OncoZON Comprehensive Cancer Network","route":"/institutions/oncozon/"},{"id":"pumch","kind":"institution","name":"Peking Union Medical College Hospital","route":"/institutions/pumch/"},{"id":"sarcoma-oncology-center","kind":"institution","name":"Sarcoma Oncology Center","route":"/institutions/sarcoma-oncology-center/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"ai-oncology-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"AI in oncology roadmap: pattern readers → foundation models → agents in the workflow","route":"/roadmaps/ai-oncology-roadmap/"},{"id":"diagnostics-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Diagnostics roadmap: stains → gene panels → blood tests that decide treatment","route":"/roadmaps/diagnostics-roadmap/"}]}}