Article
作者: Acquaye-Mallory, Alvina A ; Aboud, Orwa ; Smith-Cohn, Matthew A ; Dixit, Karan S ; Chaudhry, Huma ; Mandel, Jacob ; Soldatos, Ariane ; Cachia, David M ; Butman, John A ; Forsyth, Peter ; Salacz, Michael E ; Gilbert, Mark R ; Burton, Eric C ; Ranjan, Surabhi ; Camphausen, Kevin A ; Heiss, John D ; Tsien, Christina I ; Zaghloul, Kareem ; Drappatz, Jan ; Lee, Eudocia Q ; Smirniotopoulos, James G ; Avgeropoulos, Nicholas G ; Quezado, Martha M ; Ozer, Byram H ; Snyder, James ; Kim, Yeonju ; Armstrong, Terri S ; Aldape, Kenneth ; Lukas, Rimas V ; Raygada, Margarita ; Widemann, Brigitte C ; Dunbar, Erin M ; Penas-Prado, Marta ; Boris, Lisa ; Rogers, James L ; Wall, Thomas ; Theeler, Brett J ; Chittiboina, Prashant ; Komlodi-Pasztor, Edina
Purpose:Multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTBs) integrate clinical, molecular, and radiological information and facilitate coordination of neuro-oncology care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our MTB transitioned to a virtual and multi-institutional format. We hypothesized that this expansion would allow expert review of challenging neuro-oncology cases and contribute to the care of patients with limited access to specialized centers.
Methods:We retrospectively reviewed records from virtual MTBs held between 04/2020–03/2021. Data collected included measures of potential clinical impact, including referrals to observational or therapeutic studies, referrals for specialized neuropathology analysis, and whether molecular findings led to a change in diagnosis and/or guided management suggestions.
Results:During 25 meetings, 32 presenters discussed 44 cases. Approximately half (n = 20; 48%) involved a rare central nervous system (CNS) tumor. In 21% (n = 9) the diagnosis was changed or refined based on molecular profiling obtained at the NIH and in 36% (n = 15) molecular findings guided management. Clinical trial suggestions were offered to 31% (n = 13), enrollment in the observational NCI Natural History Study to 21% (n = 9), neuropathology review and molecular testing at the NIH to 17% (n = 7), and all received management suggestions.
Conclusion:Virtual multi-institutional MTBs enable remote expert review of CNS tumors. We propose them as a strategy to facilitate expert opinions from specialized centers, especially for rare CNS tumors, helping mitigate geographic barriers to patient care and serving as a pre-screening tool for studies. Advanced molecular testing is key to obtaining a precise diagnosis, discovering potentially actionable targets, and guiding management.