Poster Presentation 2025 Joint Meeting of the COSA ASM and IPOS Congress

Multidisciplinary Meeting Presentation in Pancreatic Cancer: Insights from a Population-Based Registry (125936)

Sanuki Tissera 1 , Mike Lloyd 1 , Bronwyn Brown 1 , Daniel Croagh 2 , Liane Ioannou 1 , John Zalcberg 1 3
  1. School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  2. Monash Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  3. Department of Medical Oncology, Ballarat Regional Integrated Cancer Centre, Ballarat , Victoria, Australia

Introduction: Pancreatic cancer (PC) accounts for approximately 2.7% of all cancer cases in Australia with a low 5-year survival of 13%. The Australian Optimal Care Pathway recommends that all newly diagnosed PC patients be discussed at a multidisciplinary meeting (MDM) to support coordinated and evidence-based care. This study aimed to examine the proportion of patients presented at an MDM and explore differences in patient characteristics using data from a population-based clinical registry.

 

Methods: Prospective data from the Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Registry (2019–2023) were analysed. Patient characteristics were compared between those who were presented at an MDM and those who were not, including clinical, demographic, and geographic variables. Survival outcomes were estimated using Kaplan–Meier methods.

 

Results: Overall, 69% of patients were presented at an MDM. Median survival was higher for those discussed at an MDM (12.0 months) compared to those who were not (4.7 months). Among patients with metastatic disease, MDM discussion was associated with improved survival (4.2 vs 2.7 months). MDM presentation increased over time from 62% in 2019 to 70% in 2023. A slightly higher proportion of males (54%) were presented compared to females (46%). Patients living in metropolitan areas were more frequently discussed at MDMs (77%) than those in regional (5.2%) or rural areas (17%). Presentation rates were highest among patients with resectable (89%) and borderline resectable PC (92.7%), and lowest in those with metastatic disease (50.5%). Additionally, 78% of patients were discussed at an MDM before commencing treatment.

 

Conclusion: While MDM presentation rates have improved over time, nearly one-third of pancreatic cancer patients are still not discussed at an MDM. Patients presented at an MDM had significantly longer survival, particularly those with metastatic disease. Ensuring timely and equitable access to MDMs remains essential for delivering high-quality, guideline-concordant care for all pancreatic cancer patients in Australia