title: Establishment of a multidisciplinary hepatocellular carcinoma clinic is associated with improved clinical outcome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate differences in overall survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after the establishment of a multidisciplinary clinic (MDC) for HCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patient demographic and tumor characteristics of 355 patients diagnosed with HCC were collected between October 2006 and September 2011. Patients diagnosed after the initiation of the HCC MDC on October 1, 2010, were compared to patients diagnosed in the 4 years before. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, treatment regimens, and overall survival were analyzed between the groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 105 patients were diagnosed in the time period after HCC MDC initiation compared to 250 patients in the previous 4 years. Patients diagnosed with HCC after the HCC MDC had fewer symptoms at presentation (64 vs. 78 %, p = 0.01) and earlier stage of tumor presentation [Barcelona Clinic for Liver Cancer (BCLC) A stage, 44 vs. 26 %, p = 0.0003; tumor, node, metastasis classification system stage 1, 44 vs. 30 %, p = 0.003) compared with patients diagnosed before MDC formation. The median time to treatment after diagnosis in the later period was significantly shorter than in the earlier time period (2.3 vs. 5.3 months, p = 0.002). On multivariate analysis, being seen in the HCC MDC remained independently associated with better overall survival (hazard ratio 2.5, 95 % confidence interval 2-3), after adjusting for BCLC stage and recipient of curative treatment. Patients diagnosed after HCC MDC initiation had a median survival of 13.2 months compared to the 4.8 months observed in patients diagnosed before MDC formation (p = 0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The implementation of a MDC for the evaluation and treatment of patients with HCC is associated with improved overall survival.
authors: Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA, adam.yopp@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors: Adam C
authors: AC
authors: Yopp
authors: John C
authors: JC
authors: Mansour
authors: Muhammad S
authors: MS
authors: Beg
authors: Juan
authors: J
authors: Arenas
authors: Clayton
authors: C
authors: Trimmer
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Reddick
authors: Ivan
authors: I
authors: Pedrosa
authors: Gaurav
authors: G
authors: Khatri
authors: Takeshi
authors: T
authors: Yakoo
authors: Jeffrey J
authors: JJ
authors: Meyer
authors: Jacqueline
authors: J
authors: Shaw
authors: Jorge A
authors: JA
authors: Marrero
authors: Amit G
authors: AG
authors: Singal
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate