Scientific project leaders:
Prof. Dr. Frank Griesinger
Prof. Dr. Lena Ansmann

Operative project leader:
Dr. Julia Roeper

Student assistant:
Alice Blanksma

Collaboration partners
PIUS Hospital Oldenburg
•    University clinic for Internal Medicine - Oncology
•    University clinic for Visceral Surgery
•    University clinic for Gynaecology

Duration:
16.08.2019 – 15.08.2022

Funding institution:
Research Pool of the University of Oldenburg Faculty VI

Project description:
Within the framework of the National Cancer Plan, organ cancer centers such as breast or lung cancer centers and oncology centers, which represent an association of several cancer centers, have been established. These centers are designed to broadly implement the guidelines formulated by the German Cancer Society (DKG), the Association of Scientific Medical Societies (AWMF) and German Cancer Aid (DKH). Thus, cancer centers have the task of coordinating the care of cancer patients within a region and to diagnose and treat them according to the latest state of evidence-based medicine. The central institution in all cancer centers is the cross-sectoral multidisciplinary tumor board (MTB), in which a guideline-based, individually adapted treatment plan is discussed and recommended with all relevant disciplines from hospitals and physician practices present. After the MTB, patients continue their treatment either at the cancer center or with outpatient care close to home. Therefore, the question arises to what extent the adherence of MTB recommendations in the different healthcare organizations (center, outpatient care) is ensured. Therefore, this research project will investigate: 1) how the therapy recommendations from the MTB are implemented; 2) what the reasons for deviations from MTB recommendations are; 3) what the relationship between the degree of adherence (complete, partial, missing) of MTB recommendations and relevant outcome parameters, such as overall survival, are. In an explorative, retrospective observational study, approximately 4.500 primarily diagnosed cancer cases and their treatment courses between 2014 and 2018 from the Cancer Center of the Pius Hospital will be examined for the degree of adherence of MTB recommendations. The knowledge gained can be used to design interventions that improve the adherence of MTB recommendations in oncological care, that optimize the quality of care and thus potentially bring significant progress in the implementation of the National Cancer Plan.