What are MDTs and how do they work?
A multi-disciplinary team (MDT) is a group of professionals with different areas of expertise who work together collaboratively to oversee and deliver the best possible care for every child diagnosed with cancer. The MDT at the principal treatment centre (PTC) is a central part of each child’s care.
Who is in an MDT?
An MDT consists of professionals from different specialities with expertise in childhood cancer and many members are national or international experts in their field. A typical MDT consists of paediatric oncologists, haematologists, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, radiation oncologists, nurses and pharmacists. Sometimes, other specialists are invited to join if their input would be helpful in a particular child’s care.
What happens at an MDT meeting?
MDT meetings are conferences at which members of the team come together to review information about each child and make decisions about management at various points of their cancer journey. These meetings take place on a regular basis, usually weekly or fortnightly.
Children are discussed at the point of diagnosis and at specified points along their treatment plan. Reasons for discussion include the assessment of treatment response, end of treatment, progressive or relapsed disease and complications or side effects of treatment. Each patient’s history, scans and pathology are reviewed, and the MDT uses this information to make recommendations about diagnosis, investigations, treatment and other aspects of management.
The discussions are minuted by a coordinator and clear records are kept for future reference. In addition to local MDTs, children can be reviewed at national MDTs to receive specialist input from experts in particular cancers from outside their PTC. These are conducted online so that experts from anywhere in the country can be involved.
What are the advantages of MDTs?
Collaborative, multi-disciplinary working is essential to providing a consistent, coordinated and holistic approach to children’s cancer treatment. When specialist teams work together, they can share their knowledge and skills to make recommendations for the best treatment for an individual child. This offers clear benefits over being managed by one individual.
Research shows that MDTs improve patient outcomes, increase evidence-based decision making and improve education of the professionals within them. The MDT model in specialist centres is one of the main contributing factors to the increased cure rates for children’s cancer since the 1970s. The NHS Cancer Plan mandates MDT working, which is seen as the ‘gold standard’ for children’s cancer care.
Can parents attend MDT meetings?
Parents aren’t routinely invited to join MDT meetings, but your oncologist or nurse will let you know when your child is being discussed. You can let them know anything you would like to be considered by the MDT, and that will be presented at the meeting and taken into account.
Your child’s oncologist will share the outcome of discussions and recommendations with you once the meeting has taken place. It’s important to remember that any final decisions about treatment or other aspects of your child’s care will be made jointly between you and your consultant, while taking the advice from the MDT into consideration.
Have a question to ask one of our experts?
Please get in touch by emailing info@cclg.org.uk or via DM on our social channels. We may feature your question in a future ‘Ask the Expert’ to help other families and patients who have the same question.
From Contact magazine issue 97 - Winter 2022
