Advancing towards Better Cooperation for Better Sarcoma Prognoses.

Abstract

Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) are necessary to deliver the best sarcoma care. Planning the optimal therapeutic strategy per patient requires input and expertise from several disciplines. Case/cohort studies have reported improved patient outcomes associated with treatment by MDTs and/or treatment in sarcoma centres. Many countries have established national networks of sarcoma reference centres and most have developed evidence-based clinical practice guidelines agreed using multidisciplinary expertise. In many countries, sarcoma networks are organised as cooperative groups. These groups are committed to delivering continuing medical education and are open to collaboration with other groups. Among their many benefits, cooperative groups have huge capacity for accrual, which is essential for rare cancers such as sarcoma. Since its beginnings in 1994 with a small core of oncologists focussing on soft tissue sarcoma, the Spanish Group for Research on Sarcomas (GEIS) has expanded to 376 members from more than 10 disciplines (as at June 2017). GEIS is currently actively collaborating with several international cooperative groups. As MDTs are essential to offer the best outcome in sarcoma care, and international cooperation between sarcoma groups is essential to address the many unanswered questions in sarcoma management, both approaches should be made mandatory.