Abstract
Background: Cancer continues to be a leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally. According to the Global Cancer Incidence Mortality and Prevalence (GLOBOCAN, 2018), Kenya has an estimated 47, 887 new cancer cases with 32, 987 deaths annually. The International Cancer Institute (ICI) is leading in the efforts to prevent and cure cancer in sub-Saharan Africa through innovative programs and multi-sectoral collaborations. Hence, the establishment of virtual tumor boards (VTBs) held biweekly across online platforms with the objective to improve patient outcomes by integrating multidisciplinary and expert discussion of cancer cases for application of standardized treatment protocols, management and greatly support decision making. Methods: ICI established the virtual tumor boards for case presentations and discussion with attendance of leading experts in Cancer care from across sub-Saharan countries and even globally. Standard case presentation templates and procedures are used by participants from different facilities and/or institutions when presenting the cases after which experts in Oncology and General medicine lead the discussions on the suitable and practical treatment protocols based on international guidelines, clinical trials and study findings relevant to the case. The final resolutions are shared in formal writing to the case presenters for documentation and execution of relevant treatments to manage cases in the low capacity hospitals. Subsequent virtual tumor boards include follow-up discussions on treatment outcomes for previously discussed cases. Feedback evaluation forms are sent to the VTB participants after every session for analysis. Findings: Between January 2020 and July 2020, ICI hosted 59 virtual tumor board sessions with case presentations made from 15 facilities across Kenya. The presenters were multi-cadre ranging from Medical Consultants, Medical Residents, General practitioners and Oncology clinical officers. The cases included: breast cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, neuroendocrine cancer, lymphomas, colorectal cancers, soft tissue sarcomas, germ cell tumors, breast cancer in pregnancy, Kaposi’s sarcoma among others. Feedback analysis showed most participants were extremely satisfied with the presentations and were very likely to attend future sessions as well as recommend the VTBs to their colleagues. Conclusion: Virtual tumor boards bridge the gap of access to specialized cancer care in rural settings by using the internet and positively impact fast expert decision making on the appropriate regimens to use.
The involvement of a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment and patient care has been seen to improve overall patient outcomes with capacity building of healthcare providers (HCPs) also being enhanced through online mentorship and training in the process.
Citation Format: Anthony Muchiri, Gloria Kitur, Hussein Elias, Andrew Koech, Chite Asirwa. The role of virtual tumor boards in improving patient outcomes in rural settings of sub-Saharan Africa [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-047.
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