Same-Day Multidisciplinary Oncology Clinics May Improve Care Efficiency, Study Suggests

According to a recent systematic review published in JCO Oncology Practice, implementation of same-day multidisciplinary clinics (MDCs) for patients with newly diagnosed adult solid tumor cancers may reduce the interval between diagnosis and treatment initiation while improving guideline concordance and enhancing patient satisfaction.¹

The studies included in the review specifically compared routine care with MDC models in which patients consult with surgical, medical, and radiation oncologists—along with supportive care services—during a single visit. Investigators analyzed data from 27 observational studies in the US and Canada published between 2008 and 2025, including 17 studies conducted in large academic/hospital settings and 10 in community-affiliated or integrated-network facilities. Totaling over 18,000 patients, the population spanned multiple tumor sites including breast, lung, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, head and neck, and central nervous system solid tumors.

“In value-based oncology, the question is no longer whether to pursue integrated multidisciplinary care but how best to optimize their reach, intensity, and sustainability within diverse care settings while continuing to measure their benefits,” study authors John F. Deeken, MD and colleagues wrote in their conclusion.¹

Impact on Care Timelines and Workflow Efficiency

In traditional oncology workflows, patients often face delays while navigating independent appointments with various specialists. The MDC model aims to address these bottlenecks by providing a unified platform for real-time collaborative decision-making.

The primary clinical benefit identified in the review is the substantial reduction in time to treatment initiation. In settings focused on thoracic and head and neck malignancies, therapy began approximately 9.5 days sooner (95% CI, –16.2 to –2.7) on average for patients treated within an MDC compared with a non-MDC. Similar reductions were observed in hepatocellular carcinoma, where the MDC model shortened time to treatment initiation by approximately 3 months. However, expedited timelines were not observed in all settings, such as in postoperative breast cancer or neoadjuvant pancreatic cancer.

Clinical Coordination, Guideline Adherence, and Outcomes

Beyond efficiency, the “one-stop” multidisciplinary approach aims to ensure that treatment plans are more robust and reflective of current clinical standards. When specialists from different disciplines evaluate a patient simultaneously, they can collectively determine the optimal sequencing of therapies, potentially reducing redundant testing and avoiding suboptimal treatment strategies. The review highlights that cases presented in MDCs are more likely to result in changes to the initial treatment plan—occurring in 24% to 52% of cases—or the discovery of additional staging requirements that might have been overlooked in a fragmented referral system.

The collaborative environment may also foster better adherence to evidence-based guidelines, such as the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines. The review found that guideline adherence averaged 91% with MDCs vs 68% with routine care pathways, with concordance particularly enriched in complex treatment settings.

Additionally, increased clinical trial enrollment was also observed in MDC settings, suggesting that coordinated evaluation may facilitate earlier identification of eligible patients and streamline referral into investigational protocols.

Notably, these improvements were reflected in clinical outcomes in select cohorts, contributing to an evidence gap from a previous systematic review investigating whether multidisciplinary oncology care results in improved survival.² In pancreatic and mixed head and neck cohorts, care in MDCs was associated with an improvement in overall survival (pooled HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.68-0.87).

Patient-Centered Outcomes and Satisfaction

On the patient front, the MDC model was associated with high levels of patient satisfaction (greater than 90%) across the reviewed literature in lung, prostate, and head and neck cancers. Patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer also reported a reduction in mean distress score from 5.6 to 2.9 during the same-day visit.

Further, as average pretreatment provider visits fell, patients experienced fewer logistical obstacles, including reduced travel, time off work, and coordination challenges between multiple appointments. The findings indicate that by condensing the traditional multiweek referral process into a single day, health care systems can mitigate the socioeconomic, logistical, and psychological burden on patients and improve clinical throughput.

Operational Considerations for Community Practices

While the benefits are evident, the MDC model may pose implementation challenges, particularly in the community oncology setting where resource intensity remains a primary barrier. Successful execution requires high levels of administrative support, dedicated physical space, and the alignment of schedules across multiple physician groups. Furthermore, reimbursement structures often favor individual consultations over integrated multidisciplinary sessions, though the shift toward value-based care may provide more favorable financial incentives for these models in the future.

Despite the positive trends observed, the authors of the review emphasized significant limitations in the available literature. Of the 27 studies included, 21 were retrospective cohort studies that utilized historical or contemporaneous controls. This reliance on retrospective data introduces a potential risk of bias and warrants further validation in prospective trials to confirm the specific clinic features that effectively drive benefit.

REFERENCES

1. Deeken JF, Pereanu W, Wadlow RC, et al. Same-day multidisciplinary clinics for patients with newly diagnosed adult solid tumor cancer: A systematic review. JCO Oncol Pract. Published online February 20, 2026. doi:10.1200/op-25-00902

2. Pillay B, Wootten AC, Crowe H, et al. The impact of multidisciplinary team meetings on patient assessment, management and outcomes in oncology settings: A systematic review of the literature. Cancer Treat Rev. 2016;42:56-72. doi:10.1016/j.ctrv.2015.11.007