Opinions of Turkish medical oncologists about the participation of patients and/or patient caregivers in multidisciplinary tumor boards

Purpose: Multidicplinary tumor board(MTBs) are an an important component of cancer patient care. The participation of patients or caregivers in MTBs is an contentious issue and is uncommon in Turkey. This study aimed to determine what Turkish medical oncologists think about the participation of patients and caregivers in MTBs. Method The study was conducted during 8th Turkish Congress Of Medical Oncology in Antalya İn November 2021. The medical oncologists that participated completed a 9-item questionnaire. The relationships between the participants’ sociodemographic characteristics and their questionnaire responses concerning MTBs were analyzed using Pearson’s chi-square test or the Fisher-Freeman-Halton test. Results No statistically significant correlation was found between the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants and the opinions of cancer patients or their relatives about their participation in multidisciplinary tumor boards. 75% of the participants do not approve participation of patient or caregivers in MTBs. 12% of participants approve the participation of both in the MTBs. 3% of participants approve only the participation of caregivers where as only the 6% of medical oncologist approve only the participation of patients in tumor board. Conclusion Among 109 Turkish medical oncologists, most didn’t approve of the participation of patients or caregivers in MTBs. The 2 major reasons for this lack of approval are fear that patients and caregivers will not understand medical terminology, and the emotional stress their participation can cause MTB members.