title: Role of the multidisciplinary team in breast cancer management: results from a large international survey involving 39 countries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The optimal management of patients with breast cancer (BC) requires the expertise of specialists from different disciplines. This has led to the evolution of multidisciplinary teams (MDTs), allowing all key professionals to jointly discuss individual patients and to contribute independently to clinical decisions. Data regarding BC MDTs in different regions and countries are scarce.
  
  
  METHODS
  The investigators of a large global phase III adjuvant BC trial being conducted by the Breast International Group were invited to respond to a questionnaire about the extent, structure, and function of BC MDTs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and fifty-two responses from 39 countries were received, and remarkable differences were noted in different geographic regions. Sixty-five percent of the respondents from eastern Europe, 63% from western Europe, 35% from Asia, and 25% from South America declared that MDT was a mandatory part of BC care in their country. Ninety percent of the respondents from Europe stated their MDTs met weekly, compared with only half of the respondents from Asia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This survey is perhaps the first large-scale effort to collect information regarding BC MDTs from different parts of the world and provides objective information of frequency, composition, function, and working mechanism of BC MDTs.
authors.affiliation: Breast International Group, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Saini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: A-J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Palmieri
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gunnarsson
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Schmoll
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Dolci
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ghenne
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Metzger-Filho
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Skrzypski
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paesmans
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ameye
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Piccart-Gebhart
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Azambuja
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D017326:Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic; D003657:Decision Making; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic