Multidisciplinary Care Is Associated with Reduced Mortality in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Curative therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are underutilized, possibly because of the complex nature of determining the ideal treatment modality.

In the current retrospective cohort study, researchers assessed the effect of multiple care delivery variables on the likelihood of receiving active HCC therapy and survival in 3988 patients treated for HCC at 128 U.S. Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals. Information on specialties of providers involved in HCC care and occurrence of a tumor board discussion were manually extracted via chart review. HCC therapies included liver transplantation, surgical resection, liver-directed therapies, and systemic chemotherapy.

Seventy-four percent of patients received active HCC therapy, 54% saw m…