Streamlining the Multi-Disciplinary Team Meeting: The Introduction of Robust Pre-Preparation Methods and Its Effect on the Length of Case Discussions.

Introduction: The multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach has long been considered the optimal way in which to deliver a high standard of care to patients with breast cancer. With a growing number of patients and ever-increasing complexity of cases, the strain on time and resource of the MDT is becoming increasingly evident. It is therefore essential that local hospital departments adapt their MDT processes to better streamline discussions and optimise efficiency. The Royal United Hospital in Bath is a district general hospital in the UK. Approximately 500 patients with cancers are treated annually, and the MDT discusses approximately 60 patients per week. Methods: To improve our MDT meeting processes and increase productivity, we created a concise MDT template using Microsoft Access™: giving all clinicians the ability to add patients and information in real time. We also allocated weekly preparation time whereby a senior clinician ensured all patients were prepared prior to the meeting with results and potential outcomes prepopulated where possible. Results: We recorded the time spent discussing patients during 6 MDT meetings before and after implementation of changes. Cases were classified by pathology category to determine if there were differences following the preparation changes. Overall, we significantly reduced our average MDT discussion time (p=0.02). We significantly reduced average discussion time in postoperative malignant cases (p<0.0006) and expected benign core biopsy cases (p<0.0047), allowing appropriate redistribution of time towards discussion of more complex cases, reflected by the significant increase in time spent discussing complex radiology cases (p<0.025). Conclusion: We offer an effective method for improving the MDT meeting preparation and presentation by ensuring each patient is appropriately prepared prior to the meeting, and outcomes for those simple cases are already prepopulated. This creates additional time within the meeting to discuss more complex clinical cases while allowing all members of the team an opportunity to discuss all patients if needed.

Operative and Pathological Factors in Right-Sided Colon Cancers: How Can We Improve the Outcomes?

INTRODUCTION: Though the tumour-node-metastasis staging classification is the standard approach to risk stratification in patients with colorectal cancer, several other important variables including the presence of extramural venous invasion (EMVI), the tumour mismatch repair status, as well as surgical technique and its influence on lymph node yield all have an impact on long-term survival. This study aims to review both the impact of the type of operation on lymph node yield: complete mesocolic excision (CME) versus right hemicolectomy, and the impact of EMVI and microsatellite instability in predicting overall survival in patients undergoing a right hemicolectomy for colon cancer. METHODS: Data of all patients who underwent an elective or emergency right hemicolectomy with curative intent for colon cancer between January 2013 and June 2022 (inclusive) was collected for this single-centre retrospective study. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were calculated using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 28, IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) software, and the log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test was used to compare survival distribution between different groups. RESULTS: A total of 421 patients underwent a right hemicolectomy for colon cancer with curative intent during the study period. EMVI was present in 173 (41%) tumours. Survival analysis showed significantly reduced cancer-related survival in patients with EMVI-positive tumours (p < 0.001), with five-year survival rates of 70% in EMVI-positive groups versus 96% in EMVI-negative groups. Subgroup analysis showed a significant difference in survival between node-positive and node-negative tumours in cancers found to have EMVI (p < 0.001). Mean lymph node yield was significantly higher in the CME group versus the standard right hemicolectomy group (p < 0.001). We found no significant difference in survival between patients with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) tumours and microsatellite stable (MSS) tumours (p = 0.432). CONCLUSION: Consideration of tumour biology and adopting the optimum surgical technique are factors that may influence long-term survival in patients with colorectal cancer. Extramural venous invasion is an important prognostic indicator of adverse outcomes in patients with right-sided colon cancer. Our study demonstrates a reduction in survival in patients with EMVI-positive tumours when undertaking subgroup analysis by the presence or absence of nodal disease. Further research needs to be undertaken to compare the relative efficacy of neoadjuvant versus adjuvant chemotherapy in right-sided cancers known to be EMVI-positive as some patients will fail to have adjuvant chemotherapy due to postoperative complications, thereby delaying recovery and missing the optimum window for treatment.

Primary Jejunal Enterolith Causing Small Bowel Obstruction Without Any Underlying Bowel Abnormality.

Enterolith formation is a rare condition precipitated by decreased bowel motility. It may cause obstruction or other complications and the diagnosis usually is confirmed after surgery and analysis of the stones or fragments. It is often seen in association with intestinal abnormalities such as diverticula and inflammation or in biliary tract fistulas where stones migrate to the duodenum and small bowel. We report an unusual case of a primary true enterolith formation in a patient without any underlying bowel condition or any previous surgery.

The relationship between inhibitors of the Wnt signalling pathway (Dickkopf-1(DKK1) and sclerostin), bone mineral density, vascular calcification and arterial stiffness in post-menopausal women.

Epidemiological studies have shown an association between bone loss/osteoporosis and vascular calcification (VC). Recent studies have implicated the Wnt signalling pathway in the pathogenesis of VC. We investigated the association between circulating concentrations of Wnt inhibitors; DKK1 and sclerostin with bone mineral density (BMD), abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) and arterial stiffness in post-menopausal women. One hundred and forty six post-menopausal women aged (mean [SD]) 61.5[6.5] years were studied. Sclerostin and DKK1 were measured in serum. BMD was measured at the lumbar spine (LS), femoral neck (FN), total hip (TH). AAC was detected by Vertebral Fracture Assessment (VFA) imaging and quantified using an 8- and 24- point scoring methods. Arterial stiffness was determined by aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV). A significant positive correlation was observed between sclerostin and BMD at the FN (r = 0.166, p = 0.043) and TH (r = 0.165, p = 0.044). The association remained significant at the FN (p = 0.045) and TH (p = 0.026) following adjustment for confounders. No significant correlation was observed between DKK1 and BMD. In contrast, there was a significant negative correlation between log DKK1 and AAC (24-point score: r = -0.25, p = 0.008 and 8-point score: r = -0.21, p = 0.024). Subjects with AAC score of 1 or less had significantly higher DKK1 (p = 0.01). The association between DKK1 and AAC remained significant following correction for age, blood pressure, cholesterol (24-point score: p = 0.017, 8-point score: p = 0.044). In adjusted linear regression analysis, sclerostin was positively associated with AAC (24-point score: p = 0.048, 8-point score: p = 0.031). Subjects with a PWV>9 m/s had significantly higher sclerostin than those with PWV <9 m/s: 23.8[12.3], vs 29.7 [14] pmol/l, p = 0.03). No association was observed between DKK1 and PWV. The opposite association between AAC and the 2 Wnt signaling inhibitors is of interest and merits further investigations. Future longitudinal studies are needed to establish the precise role of sclerostin and DKK1 in the pathogenesis of VC.