Precision Oncology for Metastatic Cancers: The Essential Role of Multidisciplinary Tumor Boards

Metastatic cancers are a great challenge in cancer treatment. Due to their vast genetics and aggressive nature these malignancies often develop resistance to standard therapies. Even for advanced tumors healthcare providers are forced to use chemotherapy and radiation to relieve symptoms without being able to address the complex molecular characteristics of metastatic tumors. Precision medicine is an approach that offers tailored cancer treatment to the phenotypic characteristics of each tumor. We conducted a literature review to assess the impact of multidisciplinary collaboration of precision medicine and oncology. The articles extracted from Pubmed, Google Scholar, Scopus and Cochrane supported the use of tumor boards for development of treatment plans. These specialized tumor boards also called Molecular Tumor Boards (MlTBs) use precision medicine tools. MlTBs incorporate advanced technologies, such as genome sequencing and liquid biopsies, which have the ability to significantly enhance and identify actionable genetic changes. These precision tools enable the development of targeted therapies, which are more effective and less toxic than standard chemotherapy/ radiation therapy treatments. With the integration of multiple dataset models MlTBs can help doctors to bridge connections between complex genomic profiles and identify opportunities for precise treatment plans. There are some known drawbacks of MlTBs, namely requirement of a well-oiled system. Multidisciplinary teams meetings are time consuming and require a lot of planning. However, once incorporated in clinical practice they open opportunities for educational training and clinical trials. MlTBs are new to many physicians and their adaptation might take time, but strong evidence supporting their impact in enhanced treatment precision and improved patient outcomes, highlights their credibility. Making MlTBs a meritorious addition to oncological practice.