Management and outcomes of patients undergoing high-risk oncologic pancreatic surgery: do patients presented at pancreatic multidisciplinary tumor board fare better?

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the impact of multidisciplinary tumor board (MDT) discussion on pancreatic cancer treatment and diagnosis. We aimed to determine whether these patients who are presented at MDT meetings have improved outcomes compared with those who are not presented. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at our tertiary referral center between 2019 and 2022. RESULTS: Of the 190 patients included in the study, 166 (87.4%) were presented at MDT. Patients presented were more likely to receive appropriate pretherapy workup (81.9% vs 37.5%, P < 0.001) and posttreatment surveillance (52.4% vs 20.8%, P = 0.004) and had fewer postoperative complications (30.7% vs 58.3%, P = 0.008) compared to patients who were not presented. CONCLUSION: All patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer should be discussed at MDT meetings.