Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, 2025, Vol.13, No.6, 254-264 http://medscipublisher.com/index.php/cge 257 MDT not only helps to prolong patients' lives, but also enhances the overall management level of digestive system tumors by improving the accuracy of diagnosis, accelerating the start time of treatment, and ensuring that patients receive more comprehensive and targeted treatment. After MDT discussions, many cases have their original treatment plans readjusted (Prades et al., 2015; Peng et al., 2021). This also indicates that collective discussions and joint decision-making are of great value when dealing with complex conditions. The MDT model can also make subsequent follow-up and care more continuous and better connected, which plays an important role in meeting the long-term treatment and care needs of patients with digestive system tumors (Xiang et al., 2022). 3.3 Exploration of applications in other malignant tumors The MDT model has also been applied in the treatment of other malignant tumors such as head and neck cancer, prostate cancer, liver cancer, and kidney cancer. In the treatment of head and neck cancers, the role of MDT is particularly prominent-the body structure in this area is special and requires close cooperation among multiple departments such as surgery, oncology, and nursing (Prades et al., 2015). MDT can help doctors comprehensively understand the condition, accurately determine the stage of cancer, optimize the treatment plan, and jointly improve the survival rate and quality of life of patients (Felice et al., 2018; Taberna et al., 2020). For specific malignant tumors such as metastatic renal cell carcinoma and liver cancer, the collective discussion of MDT can help prolong the overall survival and progression-free survival of patients. Patients who receive MDT treatment are more likely to have multiple rounds of treatment opportunities and personalized treatment plans, and the treatment effect is also better (Shore et al., 2022). However, in some types of cancer, the research conclusions on the effect of MDT are not uniform. More high-quality studies are needed to clarify the specific role of MDT in the survival and quality of life of patients with various types of cancer (Zeng et al., 2023; Peng et al., 2025). 4 Multi-Dimensional Effects of MDT on Patient Prognosis 4.1 Improvement in survival outcomes The application of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) model in cancer treatment has been proven to be beneficial for improving the survival rate of patients with different types of cancer. Multiple studies and a large amount of case data show that patients who receive MDT management have a longer overall survival time compared with those who only receive conventional treatment. For instance, in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, the participation of MDT in treatment can reduce the risk of death by approximately 40% (hazard ratio 0.60), and there are similar improving trends in survival outcomes for patients with colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, head and neck cancer, and esophageal cancer (Bilfinger et al., 2018; De Castro et al., 2023). Generally speaking, the more standardized the MDT team is, the more abundant the discussion meetings are, and the more actively experts participate, the more ideal the survival outcome of patients will be. Take rectal cancer as an example. The three-year survival rate of patients managed by a high-level MDT team can reach 90.5%, while that of patients managed by a general MDT team is approximately 78.1% (Figure 1) (Shang et al., 2021; Lindblad et al., 2024; Ma et al., 2024). The improvement in survival rates is mainly due to more accurate diagnosis, more timely treatment initiation, and doctors' better adherence to standard treatment guidelines (Prades et al., 2015; Xiang et al., 2022). The MDT model will prompt doctors to conduct a comprehensive assessment of patients, formulate personalized treatment plans, ensure that patients receive the most suitable treatment for themselves, and reduce situations of inadequate or over-treatment. For advanced cancers with complex conditions that require the combined treatment of multiple methods, the role of MDT in prolonging the survival time of patients is particularly prominent (Zeng et al., 2023; Mangone et al., 2024). 4.2 Improve the quality of life and mental health MDT not only helps prolong the survival time of cancer patients, but also plays a significant role in improving their quality of life and psychological state. Research has found that MDT-based nursing can significantly enhance patients' physical comfort, reduce chemotherapy-related complications, and is more conducive to alleviating patients' anxiety and depression. For example, compared with breast cancer patients receiving conventional treatment, patients receiving MDT management had higher quality of life scores, lower incidences of severe
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==