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Olubukola Ayodele: A well-structured MBC MDT can enhance patient care and outcomes in several ways

Olubukola Ayodele/LinkedIn

Mar 2, 2025, 07:13

Olubukola Ayodele: A well-structured MBC MDT can enhance patient care and outcomes in several ways

Olubukola Ayodele, Consultant Medical Oncologist at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“It has been three months since we established a metastatic breast cancer (MBC) multidisciplinary team (MDT) at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, a collaborative working project with Novartis. This effort is part of my commitment as head of breast oncology to address the significant disparities between secondary and early breast cancer, which impact real lives and stories.

According to Breast Cancer Now, an estimated 61,000 individuals in the UK are living with MBC as of 2023. The first-ever national audit of MBC (NAoMe), covering care from 2019 to 2021 in England and Wales, identified critical gaps in our understanding of MBC, revealing that patients with recurrent disease are often overlooked. The audit’s findings highlighted urgent needs for improvement:

Only 61% of women with de novo MBC had records indicating they were discussed in an MDT.
Only 67% had contact with a clinical nurse specialist at diagnosis.
Only 34% had documentation of a biopsy around their MBC diagnosis.

Given the complexity of treating MBC, a dedicated MDT approach is vital. Newly diagnosed patients, whether de novo or recurrent, must be included in MDT discussions, as the right treatment from the outset can significantly impact survival outcomes and clinical trial opportunities. A survey by Make 2nds Count reflecting patients’ experiences underscored the challenges in obtaining support. Patients reported statements like, ‘My oncologist told me to look into trials myself’ and ‘My oncologist was unsupportive and said most trials fail and should only be a last resort,’ showing the need for improved communication and guidance.

A well-structured MBC MDT can enhance patient care and outcomes in several ways:

Personalized Treatment Plans: Tailored to tumour biology and patient preferences.
Access to Advanced Therapies: Ensuring options for targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and clinical trials.
Proactive Symptom Management: Early intervention for pain and side effects to improve quality of life and reduce emergency visits.
Integrated Support Services: Providing essential psychosocial support and survivorship planning as part of care.
Reduced Fragmentation of Care: Improved communication among specialists and community healthcare providers.

The government and NHS must take urgent action to aid Trusts and Health Boards to capture essential MBC data. Accurate data collection is not just a goal; it’s crucial to improving care. Utilizing Ledidi as our clinical registry platform, we maintain an up-to-date database that tracks all aspects of patient care, including vital survival data.

As healthcare providers, we are committed to improving patient outcomes. I look forward to sharing the ongoing successes of our MBC MDT as we strive to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our patients.”