Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Discussion Improves Overall Survival Outcomes for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients

PURPOSE: Multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussion is a widely used model to manage patients diagnosed with cancer. However, there has been no direct evidence to prove its effect on the prognosis of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients, so this study explored the impact of MDT discussion on mRCC patient survival. METHODS: The clinical data of 269 mRCC patients were retrospectively collected from 2012 to 2021. The cases were grouped into the MDT and non-MDT groups, then subgroup analysis was performed according to different histology types, as well as exploring the role of MDT in patients who have undergone multiple-line therapy. Overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) were set as the study endpoint. RESULTS: Approximately half (48.0%, 129/269) of the patients were in the MDT group, with univariable survival analyses showing these patients had remarkably longer median OS (MDT group: 73.7 months; non-MDT group: 33.2 months, hazard ratio (HR): 0.423 (0.288, 0.622), p<0.001) and longer median PFS (MDT group: 16.9 months, non-MDT group: 12.7 months, HR: 0.722 (0.542, 0.962), p=0.026). Furthermore, MDT management resulted in longer survival for both ccRCC and non-ccRCC subgroups. Patients in the MDT group were more likely to receive multi-line therapy (MDT group: 79/129, 61.2% vs non-MDT group: 56/140, 40.0%, p<0.001), and within this patient group, MDT management still resulted in longer OS (MDT group: 94.0 months; non-MDT group: 43.5 months, p=0.009). CONCLUSION: MDT is associated with prolonged overall survival in mRCC independent of histology, ensuring that patients receive better management and precise treatment.