The impact of multidisciplinary teams on overall mortality and average survival in cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: The adoption of multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) has shown promise in lung cancer patients.EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of MDTs on overall mortality (primary outcome) and average survival (secondary outcome) in patients with lung cancer. A systematic search of electronic databases, and subsequent study selection and data extraction, was conducted from inception to May 12th, 2024.EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: A total of 16 studies were included in the systematic review, 11 reporting data about overall mortality and the remaining five about the average survival in patient groups managed by MDTs and control groups. Patients managed by MDTs had a statistically significant increase in the odds of survival (OR=0.60, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.80, P<0.001) and average survival (pooled WMD= 9.89 months, 95% CI 1.38 to 18.40, P=0.023).CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review with meta-analysis showed that MDTs can significantly reduce mortality and prolong average survival in patients with lung cancer.