CBL combined with MDT mode in clinical teaching of liver cancer: a randomized controlled study

Liver cancer management requires multidisciplinary collaboration, yet traditional clinical teaching often fails to foster integrated clinical reasoning skills among medical students. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of combining case-based learning (CBL) with multidisciplinary team (MDT) mode in clinical teaching of liver cancer. A total of 112 postgraduate students from Dali University Clinical Medical School who completed clinical internships at The Third People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province between January 2023 and June 2025 were enrolled and randomly assigned to experimental group (n = 56) and control group (n = 56). The control group received traditional lecture-based teaching, while the experimental group received CBL combined with MDT teaching. Teaching effectiveness was evaluated through theoretical examinations, clinical skills assessments using objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), and questionnaire surveys. Independent t-tests and chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis. The experimental group demonstrated significantly higher theoretical examination scores (87.15±5.34 vs. 81.23±6.12, t=3.41, P<0.01, Cohen's d=1.03) and clinical skills assessment scores (86.42±5.68 vs. 81.08±5.95, t=2.89, P<0.01, Cohen's d=0.91) compared to the control group. OSCE subdomain analysis revealed superior performance in history taking (17.82±1.56 vs. 16.94±1.78, P=0.017), diagnostic test interpretation (17.65±1.72 vs. 16.51±1.93, P=0.012), treatment planning (17.93±1.48 vs. 16.32±1.85, P=0.002), and doctor-patient communication (17.58±1.63 vs. 16.21±1.89, P=0.008). Questionnaire surveys indicated significantly higher satisfaction rates in the experimental group regarding learning interest stimulation (94.6% vs. 78.6%, P=0.011), clinical thinking cultivation (96.4% vs. 76.8%, P=0.002), team collaboration enhancement (92.9% vs. 71.4%, P=0.003), and communication skills improvement (94.6% vs. 69.6%, P<0.001). CBL combined with MDT mode significantly improves theoretical knowledge acquisition, clinical skills performance, and comprehensive competencies in liver cancer clinical teaching. This integrated approach represents an effective pedagogical strategy worthy of broader implementation in oncology education.