Improvements in quality of care resulting from a formal multidisciplinary tumour clinic in the management of high-grade glioma.

Introduction: There is increasing belief that a formal protocol-based multidisciplinary care model should be adopted as an optimal care model in oncology. However, there is minimal outcome evidence to demonstrate an improvement in patient care. The aim of this study was to compare clinical quality outcomes between patients with high-grade glioma managed at one hospital using a formal neuro-oncology multidisciplinary tumour clinic (MTC) and a second hospital with a traditional on-call referral pattern (non-MTC).

Improved median survival for glioblastoma multiforme following introduction of adjuvant temozolomide chemotherapy.

Introduction: The use of adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ) in patients managed with surgery and adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) has been demonstrated to improve median and 2-year survival in a recent large international multicentre study. To confirm this result in routine clinical practice, an audit of the management and outcome of patients with GBM at The Cancer Institute Radiation Oncology was performed.

Materials And Methods: All patients with GBM managed radically at The Cancer Institute Radiation Oncology from May 2002 to 2006 were entered into a prospective database.