Multidisciplinary care teams lower breast cancer mortality

Medical teams in Portugal and other regions use multidisciplinary approaches to improve survival rates for breast cancer patients.

This collaborative model combines various medical specialties to manage the disease from initial diagnosis through long-term recovery. Doctors from different fields meet weekly to discuss individual cases and ensure treatment plans follow national and international scientific guidelines. This practice serves as a quality control mechanism to prevent individual errors.

In some reference hospitals, these teams review every biopsy from the previous week, involving surgeons, pathologists, and radiologists to evaluate even benign nodules. The approach also provides daily support for patients who face social, psychological, and physical challenges during treatment. Social workers help patients manage lost income from temporary work inability, while psychologists and psychiatrists treat anxiety and depression.

Other specialists address treatment side effects, such as gynecologists treating vaginal dryness, nutritionists managing weight gain from hormone therapy, and rheumatologists preventing osteoporosis. After treatment, the team assists patients in returning to their daily lives. Physiatrists help patients recover mobility if surgery or radiotherapy causes swelling or limited arm movement. Plastic surgeons also work to restore a patient's self-esteem by addressing aesthetic impacts of the disease. This integrated care model aims to make the recovery process less traumatic for women.