Pius-Hospital Oldenburg

• University Clinic for Internal Medicine - Oncology
• University Clinic for Visceral Surgery
• University Clinic for Gynaecology

From 16 August 2019 to 15 August 2022

Research pool of the University of Oldenburg, School VI Medicine and Health Sciences.

As part of the national cancer plan, organ cancer centres such as breast or lung cancer centres and oncology centres, which represent an association of several cancer centres, have been formed. These centres are intended to implement the guidelines formulated by the German Cancer Society (DKG), the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) and German Cancer Aid (DKH) on a broad scale. Cancer centres thus have the task of coordinating the care of cancer patients in a region and diagnosing and treating them according to the latest evidence-based medical knowledge. The central institution in all organ cancer centres and cancer centres is the cross-sectoral multidisciplinary tumour conference (MTK), in which a guideline-based, individually tailored treatment plan is discussed and recommended with the participation of all relevant specialist disciplines from the hospitals and practices.

After the MTK, patients are treated either at the centre or close to home. The question therefore arises as to the extent to which adherence to MTC recommendations is ensured in the different care organisations (centre, care close to home).

This research project aims to investigate:
1.) how the treatment recommendations from the multidisciplinary tumour conferences are implemented,
2.) the reasons for deviations from MTK recommendations,
3.) the relationship between the degree of adherence (complete, partial, absent) to MTK recommendations and relevant outcome parameters such as overall survival.

In an explorative, retrospective observational study, around 4,500 primarily diagnosed cancer cases and their treatment courses between 2014 and 2018 from the Cancer Centre of the Pius Hospital will be examined for adherence to MTK recommendations. The findings can be used to design interventions that improve adherence to MTC recommendations in oncological care, optimise the quality of care and thus potentially make significant progress in the implementation of the national cancer plan.