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COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. As of April 1, 2020, Italy was the country with the second highest number of cases in the world. The spread of COVID-19 has required a rapid reorganization of health service delivery in face of the pandemic. Breast cancer units have reprioritized their workload to guarantee the health of oncologic patients at the highest risk and regular screening activities. However, at the end of the pandemic emergency, many benign and reconstructive cases will return to our attention and their surgical treatment will be necessary as soon as possible., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Purpose: To evaluate the role of 21-gene recurrence score (RS) assay in adjuvant chemotherapy decision-making among older patients with early breast cancer., Methods: Consecutive hormonal receptor-positive, aged ≥60 patients with breast cancer were enrolled from Shanghai Ruijin Hospital between January 2014 and December 2017. Treatment decisions were made by multi-disciplinary team (MDT) before and after 21-gene RS testing, and the actual treatment for each patient was also analyzed., Results: A total of 511 patients were enrolled, with 331 (64.8%) aged between 60 and 69, 140 (27.4%) between 70 and 79, and 40 (7.8%) over 80 years. There were 138 (27.0%), 287 (56.2%), and 86 (16.8%) patients classified as low, intermediate, and high risk RS, respectively. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that age, tumor stage, nodal status, PR expression, Ki-67, and 21-gene RS were independent impact factors for chemotherapy recommendations (P < .05). Patients with high risk RS and intermediate risk RS (both P < .001) were more often recommended to receive chemotherapy than patients with low risk RS. Treatment recommendations changed in 74 (14.5%) patients after 21-gene RS testing: 17 (3.3%) from chemotherapy to no chemotherapy and 57 (11.2%) from no chemotherapy to chemotherapy. Overall compliance rate to MDT recommendation after 21-gene RS testing was 95.7%., Conclusion: An intermediate and/or high risk 21-gene RS assay was independently associated with receiving adjuvant chemotherapy among older patients with breast cancer. However, it showed a limited impact on adjuvant chemotherapy decision-making. After 21-gene RS testing, compliance with MDT recommendation was relatively high in older patients with breast cancer., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: A multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach to cancer management is gold-standard. With an increasing disease incidence and growing research into human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), updated UK management guidelines were recently published. This study aimed to evaluate the MDT decision-making process among OPC patients at a tertiary centre., Methods: MDT meetings over a 12-month period were analysed retrospectively. MDT decisions were compared with guidelines and patient records examined to identify decision implementation. Reasons behind any discordant decisions were explored., Results: This study included 140 OPC patients. Thirty-three (23.6%) were not tested for HPV. Patients over 70 years with a smoking history treated palliatively were less likely to be tested (P = 0.017). Eighty-five percent of MDT decisions followed guidelines with the majority not complying (76.2%) related to patient comorbidity. Ten decisions (7.1%) were not implemented. Reasons included: Seven due to patient choice, of which four patients (57.1%) were only seen following the MDT meeting, and three due to clinician decisions as new clinical information emerged., Conclusion: The majority of MDT decisions followed guidelines and any discordant decisions were justifiable. Discussing management options with patients beforehand facilitates decision implementation as decisions can potentially change after seeing the patient. Progress is still needed with regards to HPV testing. Reasons for not testing could include subliminal decision-making among clinicians, and patients falling between centres. Crucially, the role of the MDT in head and neck cancer should be to ratify decisions rather than making them, hence the need to see patients prior to MDT discussion.

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) care has traditionally been fragmented. The newly introduced Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) model provides streamlined care based on expedient, multi-disciplinary decision-making. This study aimed to quantify the impact of PERT, as part of a hospital-wide PE treatment protocol, on clinical outcomes., Methods: Consecutive adult patients with acute PE diagnosed via computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) were included. The PERT and treatment protocol were introduced in January 2015. Patient characteristics, therapies, quality measures of CTPA reporting, and clinical outcomes of PE patients treated for 2 years before and after implementation of these changes were evaluated. Primary endpoints were median length of stay in intensive care (ICU) and survival to discharge., Results: A total of 321 consecutive PE patients were enrolled, of which 154 (treated in 2013-2014) and 167 (2015-2016) patients formed the historical control and study groups, respectively. Implementation of the algorithm was associated with less variance in anticoagulation and improved reporting of right heart strain parameters on CTPA. The ICU stay was reduced from a median of 5 to 2 days (p < 0.01). Eligible massive PE patients receiving reperfusion increased from 30% to 92% (p = 0.01), with mean delay from diagnosis to reperfusion decreasing from 763 to 181 minutes (p < 0.01). Bleeding complications were not increased, but overall survival to discharge remained unchanged., Conclusions: Introducing a PERT and treatment protocol reduced ICU stay, enhanced quality measures, and improved access of massive PE patients to reperfusion therapies, without increasing bleeding complications or health care costs., (Copyright © 2019 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Within the North East of England, there are an increasing number of complex patients presenting with urogenital pain; many of whom are under the care of multiple specialities. To understand and plan a cohesive strategy for this cohort, we have established a multi-disciplinary regional urogenital pain network meeting. The quarterly meetings allow us to share expertise, best practice and identify areas for improvement with the aim of therefore streamlining the patient journey and enhancing the quality of care patients with urogenital pain receive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Continuity of Care (COC) is considered one of the most relevant indicators representing both output and input of the care continuum during organizational integration. Previous studies usually center on the personal continuity of care-giving, and the theoretical and practical evidence on Continuity of Treatment (COT) for chronic patients between primary- and professional-level are insufficient. In this study, we firstly defined the COT as the continuity of inter-professional collaborative behavior on sequential treatment between community and hospital, and then evaluated the COT and explored into the influential factors through an intervention trial designed using different integration strategies. Methods: A case control study was designed and implemented in a rural pilot place in China from July 2012 to Dec 2014; all doctors in 6 towns randomly sampled and assigned into 3 groups who were intervened either with single intervention of Multi-disciplinary Team (MDT) or double intervention of MDT and integrated prospective payment system, providing them both behavior instructions and motivations. Together 279 medical records mainly concerning hypertension and concurrent diseases were sampled at the baseline and endpoint under certain inclusion/exclusion criteria, and COT was measured and compared using Triple Differences Regression Model. Three control variables included were "pre and post intervention", "single/double treatment group and control group", "continuous or discontinuous referral", and the influential factors were "quality of first-stage treatment" and "continuous information delivery". Results: 85 records were collected from the control group (38 pre/47 post); 103 from the single treatment group (51 pre/52 post); 91 from double treatment group (39 pre/52 post). After intervention, the total COT was 10.4% higher than before (P<0.001), and COT in double treatment group was 26.9% higher than single treated (P=0.032); however there was no significant difference between single treatment group and control group (P=0.069). Patients using continuous referral system enjoyed a 36.7% higher COT than discontinuous referral (P<0.001). The quality of first-stage treatment had a significant influence on COT (β=0.753, P<0.001) and the information delivery had not (β=0.043, P=0.415). There was no significant interaction between three control variables (P=0.389), and the R-square was 0.560 compared to 0.286 after influential variables included. Discussion: The referral manner plays an essential role in improving the COT for hypertension patients, and the professional collaborative behavior is mainly affected by the quality of the first-stage treatment no matter the patient information is immediately transferred or not. Conclusion: Integration intervention has been proved to be effective for rural hypertension population. The MDT strategy cannot work without proper incentive provision in successful professional collaboration, and the quality of treatment in community primary care is suggested to give the policy priority across care continuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To better understand the current strategies employed to manage patient agitation by capturing the views and opinions of the multi-disciplinary team within general Adult Critical Care Units in the UK., Research Methodology: Web-based questionnaire survey., Setting: General Adult Critical Care Units in one region of the United Kingdom MAIN OUTCOME: The online survey was circulated to approximately 900 members of staff at eight sites in the UK. The online survey was accessed by 239 (26.5%) clinicians, 163 (18.1%) completed the first two screening questions rendering them valid for inclusion. For those who responded, 98.5% acknowledge the increased risk of harm in the presence of agitation. Additionally, 76.3% felt the management of agitated patients could be improved. Many participants felt equipped in the recognition of delirium and agitation but did not feel they had the knowledge to support decision-making around acute agitation management. There is concern about the use of physical restraint and the over-reliance on sedation. There appears to be inconsistent care delivery exacerbated by staff rotational changes., Conclusion: There are valid concerns raised surrounding the legality of physical restraint and what level of restrictive action is permissible. Currently, we have no robust evidence to determine the effectiveness of one intervention to prevent treatment interruption over another. There is a need to explore the clinical decision-making process that underpins the care of a patient experiencing agitation in Adult Critical Care., (Crown Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This prospective survey study aimed to identify trainee surgeons' views on the educational potential of multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meetings for learning non-technical skills and relevant issues around using MDT meetings as an educational instrument., Design: An online survey questionnaire containing eight closed and three open-ended questions; was developed based on established educational theories. Responses were anonymous., Setting: This survey study was designed as professional project for masters in medical education degree at Warwick University. The study received ethical approval from the Biomedical Science Research and Ethics Committee of Warwick University., Participants: Trainee surgeons and non-trainee junior surgical doctors within two regions (Health Education Kent Surrey and Sussex, Health Education Wessex) in the UK were invited through an email to take the survey with the help of regional heads of surgery and coordinators., Results: Twenty eight (28) out of 420 invitees completed the survey. High internal consistency was observed for questionnaire (Cronbach's α = 0.924). 71.42% (20/28) respondents attended MDT at least once a week. 75.9% of participants indicated the importance of attendance to MDT meetings with any level of involvement; passive attendance considered the least important (5/28, 17.9%, p=0.005). Trainees felt included in the team by attendance to MDT meetings (Median score 5, p=0.027). MDT meetings were considered important for learning all domains of non-technical skills for surgeons taxonomy (cumulative mean score 2.4, p=001). Respondents considered MDT as a valuable tool for learning non-technical skills for surgeons on Miller's pyramid for learning (Cumulative mean 5.6, p=0.025). Free text answers indicated agreement to the learning opportunity provided by MDT meetings. Consistent suggestions of increasing trainee participation were obtained., Conclusion: Results indicate consistently positive views from trainees about the educational value of MDT meeting in general and for non-technical skills. Trainee participation, in the form of case-preparation, presentation, and discussion are recommended by respondents., (Copyright © 2019 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To examine peri-operative complications in patients undergoing laparoscopic excision of deeply infiltrating endometriosis (DIE)., Methods: This was a prospective study of a case series of women having laparoscopic excision of deeply infiltrating endometriosis from September 2013 through August 2016 in a tertiary referral center for endometriosis and minimally invasive gynaecological surgery in Iran. Data collected included demographics, baseline characteristics, intraoperative and postoperative data up to 1 month following surgery., Results: We analysed data from 244 consecutive patients, who underwent radical laparoscopic excision of all visible DIE. Major postoperative complications occurred in 3 (1.2%) and minor complications in 27 (11.1%) of patients. 80.3% of our patient group had Stage IV endometriosis. Segmental bowel resection was performed in 34 (13.9%), disc resection in 7 (2.9%), rectal shave in 53 (21.7%). Joint operating between a gynaecologist and colorectal and/or urological colleague was required in 29.6% of cases. The mean operating time was 223.8 min (± 80.7 standard deviation, range 60-440 min) and mean hospital stay was 2.9 days (± 1.5 standard deviation, range 1-11). The conversion to laparotomy rate was 1.6%., Conclusions: A combination of different laparoscopic surgical techniques to completely excise all visible DIE, within the context of a tertiary referral center offering multi-disciplinary approach, produces safe outcomes with low complication rates.

Background : A high proportion of the Ugandan population with epilepsy receive no treatment. Aim : To determine whether introduction of an agreed multidisciplinary guideline and establishment of a local clinic outside the hospital and four rural satellite clinics improved attendance and follow-up by children with epilepsy in Western Uganda. Methods : A multidisciplinary team from Kagando Hospital, Kasese, south-west Uganda created a guideline for the management of epilepsy. A clinic local to the hospital and rural satellite clinics were established.Attendance and follow-up were audited for three months before the intervention. Attendance, follow-up and the cost of the hospital, local and rural clinics were audited 6 months and 5 years post intervention. Results : Pre-intervention, one patient a month attended the free Kagando Hospital epilepsy clinic. Post-intervention, a median of eight patients (range 2-12) attended the local clinic and 100% attended booked follow-up appointments; the cost per clinic was £15 (£1.88 per patient, range 1.25-7.50). A median of 42 (range 15-56) patients per clinic attended the rural clinics and 70% of patients attended follow-up appointments; the cost per clinic was £34 (£0.81 per patient, range 0.61-2.23). Rural clinic attendance was higher than in the hospital clinic ( p = 0.007) and in the local clinic ( p = 0.004). Five years post-intervention, the attendance was 44 patients (range 25-85) per rural clinic and the cost per clinic was £34. Conclusions : Rural epilepsy clinics were associated with higher attendance than the hospital or local clinic and the attendance rate remained higher 5 years post-intervention.

Parkinson's disease is a chronic multi-system disease that can cause motor and non-motor symptoms, cognitive changes and variably effective medications. Optimal management of the condition requires a multi-disciplinary team of healthcare professionals to work closely with the patient and their carers. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published updated guidelines on managing Parkinson's disease in adults in 2017. Here we discuss the implications of this guidance to current healthcare professionals involved in the care of people with Parkinson's disease. The guidance highlights the importance of clear communication with people with Parkinson's disease. We discuss examples of this, including providing a point of contact with specialist services for people with Parkinson's disease and ensuring information about the risks of impulse control disorders are given to people on dopaminergic therapy. The breadth of services required by people with Parkinson's disease is also described, including the need for access to physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy as well as treatment monitoring services for Clozapine. In addition, we emphasise the continued importance of ensuring people with Parkinson's disease receive their medications on time when in hospital or a care home., (© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Aim: To explore assessment on a hospital ward for older people from the perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals., Design: A qualitative study drawing on grounded theory was undertaken between February 2015 - January 2016., Methods: Interviews with 15 patients and 22 healthcare professionals, a focus group with six healthcare professionals, 45 hr of observation and review of 18 sets of patient notes. Analysis was conducted using initial and focused coding, continuously comparing data, emerging codes and themes., Findings: The core category was navigating, constructed through three themes: containing complexity, networking, and situating the process. Navigating assessment was a complex, flexible, context dependent, and social process where healthcare professionals used a combination of formal, informal, visible, and invisible ways of working. Registered nurses were at the centre of networking and focused on gathering and sharing information in the multi-disciplinary team, whilst patients had a passive role despite a variety of preferences about their involvement., Conclusions: Navigating the assessment of older people is contextually situated, includes networking and a professional focus on containing complexity. This process may be enhanced by: (a) making informal assessment visible to others; (b) developing the nurses' role beyond chasing information towards coordinating care; and (c) asking patients and acting on how they would like to be involved in decision-making., Impact: Acknowledging that navigating assessment is a social, flexible and complex process, including different ways of working to meet patient needs, may enhance the usability of current assessment guidelines and their development., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aims: To examine the experiences of inter-professional collaboration of maternity service providers in the Netherlands and to identify potential enhancing and inhibiting factors for inter-professional collaboration within maternity care in the Netherlands., Background: Good collaboration between health care professionals is a key element of safe, effective care, but creating a collaborative culture can be challenging. Good collaboration requires, among other things, negotiating different professional orientations and the organizational constraints of hierarchies and scheduling. Good collaboration is especially important in maternity care. In the Netherlands, suboptimal collaboration has been cited as a significant factor in maternal deaths and in adverse incidents occurring in hospitals during evenings, nights, and weekends. In spite of its importance for effective maternity care, little is known about the nature and quality of collaboration between maternity care professionals. In order to fill this gap, we examined the inter-professional collaboration within multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) providing maternity services in the Netherlands., Methods: Online survey of MDTs (consisting of hospital and PCMs, doctors, and carers) involved in the provision of maternity services in the Netherlands. We used a validated measure of collaboration (the Leiden Quality of Work Questionnaire) to analyze the attitudes of those involved in the provision of maternity services about multi-disciplinary collaboration in their work. We used descriptive and inferential statistics to assess differences between the groups., Results: 40% of all respondents were not satisfied with collaboration within their MDT. Overall, mean collaboration scores (MCS) were low. We found significant differences in MCS between professional groups. Midwives - community and hospital based - were pessimistic about collaboration in future models of maternity care., Discussion: In the Netherlands, collaboration in maternity care is less than optimal. Poor collaboration is associated with negative consequences for patient safety and quality of care. Strategies to address suboptimal collaboration exist; however, no one-size-fits-all approach is identified in the literature., Conclusion: Suboptimal collaboration exists within the midwifery model of care in the Netherlands and the relationship between care providers is under pressure. This could affect patient safety and quality of care, according to the literature., Précis: This paper presents an in-depth examination of the nature of, and attitudes about, collaboration between members of the MDT involved in the provision of maternity services in the Netherlands., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Objective: To analyze the prognostic factors on multidisciplinary team patients for diagnosis, and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 132 HBsAg positive patients with HCC. MDT diagnostic approach was conducted at our hospital between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2015, and all patients were followed up to 31 December 2017. Groups were arranged according to variables such as Barcelona stage, MDT compliance, and multidisciplinary combination therapy. TTP and OS were statistically analyzed. Results: The survival of the MDT compliance group was better than the non-compliance group. The difference in survival curves was statistically significant ( χ (2) = 4.062, P < 0.05). The 1- and 2-year survival rates of the former group were 72.0%, 60.9%, and the latter was 64.3%, 40.3%. The survival of the combined treatment group was better than the non-combination group. The survival curves of the two groups were statistically significant ( χ (2) = 9.502, P < 0.05), and they were independent influencing factors of survival ( HR = 0.451, 95% CI , 0.210-0.968). The 1- and 2-year survival rates of the former group were 82.2% and 75.4%, and the latter was 63.1% and 44.6%. The median survival time of the follow-up group was 29.4 months, and the non-compliance and the uncombined group were 17.0 months. The difference was statistically significant ( χ (2) = 13.336, P < 0.001). The median tumor progression time was 15.7 months in the combination group and 10.1 months in the non-compliance group ( χ (2) = 7.263, P < 0.05). Conclusion: An advanced MDT compliance with implementation of multidisciplinary combination therapy may help to improve the prognosis of MDT patients with liver cancer.

Objectives: General practitioners (GPs) are well placed to be involved in end-of-life care for patients with life-limiting illnesses. However, differing views exist regarding their role. This study aims to explore the views of GPs and specialist palliative care clinicians (SPCCs) on the role that GPs should play in the planning and provision of end-of-life care and important barriers and facilitators to GPs' involvement in end-of-life care including suggestions for improvement., Methods: Qualitative description methodology using semistructured interviews of 11 GPs and 10 SPCCs., Results: The participants identified two key roles that GPs should play in the planning and provision of end-of-life care: care planning and referring to palliative care services and being the primary clinician in charge of patient care. GPs and SPCCs expressed similar views; however, a significant proportion of the GP participants were not actively involved in end-of-life care. Factors affecting GPs' involvement in end-of-life care included: (1) GP and practice factors including continuity of care, long-term relationships with patients, knowledge and skills in end-of-life care, resource limitations and work patterns; (2) communication and collaboration between GPs and the acute healthcare system and (3) communication and collaboration between GPs and SPCCs., Conclusion: GPs have a key role in the planning and provision of end-of-life care. GPs could be encouraged in this role by providing them with education and practical experience in end-of-life care, making changes to remuneration structure, formalised arrangements for shared care and encouraging continuity of care and developing long-term relationship with their patients., Competing Interests: Competing interests: JR has provided consultancy advice to Teva Pharma Australia and has received consultancy honoraria., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2018. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

The Minnesota Model of addiction treatment developed in the 1950s when little help was available for alcoholics and addicts. The model emphasizes the disease of alcoholism as a primary, chronic and complex illness which is treatable, not curable. Dignity and respect for patients are core principles of the model. Treatment is for the whole person; body, mind and spirit. It is abstinence-based and utilizes the Twelve Step self-help groups. The team is multi-disciplinary, consisting of a range of professionals that are able to meet the needs of the patients. This begins at the first enquiry, through the assessment, detoxification, treatment and aftercare phases. The Minnesota Model offered a completely new way of treating alcoholics and addicts at its inception in 1949. Today it continues to be relevant, appropriate and flexible for a wide range of patients. The flexibility enables adaptation to needs, new ideas and interventions without losing the core perspectives. Castle Craig Hospital, Scotland, has adapted the Minnesota Model in Europe with an eclectic, cross cultural group of patients. Adjunct therapies (for example trauma, drumming and equine therapy), the treatment of process addictions (for example gambling) and use of a hyperbaric chamber are but a few of the innovations resulting in successful treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a letter to the editor regarding the high-dose therapy and blood stem cell transplantation rates in two region population-based survey published in July 2005 issue of " British Journal of Haematology."

Background: Gastric cancer is a frequent malignant tumor worldwide and its early detection is crucial for curing the disease and enhancing patients' survival rate. This study aimed to assess whether the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) can improve the detection rate of early gastric cancer (EGC)., Methods: The detection rate of EGC at the Digestive Endoscopy Center, Affiliated Hospital, Zunyi Medical College, China between September 2013 and September 2015 was analyzed. MDT for the diagnosis of EGC in the hospital was established in September 2014. The study was divided into 2 time periods: September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014 (period 1) and September 1, 2014 to September 1, 2015 (period 2)., Results: A total of 60,800 patients' gastroscopies were performed during the two years. 61 of these patients (0.1%) were diagnosed as EGC, accounting for 16.44% (61/371) of total patients with gastric cancer. The EGC detection rate before MDT (period 1) was 0.05% (16/29403), accounting for 9.09% (16/176) of total patients with gastric cancer during this period. In comparison, the EGC detection rate during MDT (period 2) was 0.15% (45/31397), accounting for 23% (45/195) of total patients with gastric cancer during this period (P < 0.05). Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses showed that intensive gastroscopy for high risk patients of gastric cancer enhanced the detection rate of EGC in cooperation with Department of Pathology (OR = 10.1, 95% CI 2.39-43.3, P < 0.05)., Conclusion: MDT could improve the endoscopic detection rate of EGC.

The management of chronic pain in the home requires the integration of certain elements of the 'community' sector. Indeed, once back in their home environment, patients often find themselves having to cope with this pain alone. Thanks to her expertise, the community nurse can implement a coordinated, personalised and adapted follow-up of the patient with chronic pain., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The sudden occurrence of a focal neurological deficit, sometimes transitory and fluctuating, must lead to a suspicion of a stroke, including in a child. The preferred examination is magnetic resonance imaging with magnetic resonance angiography in an emergency. The sequelae of stroke are common and severe. Urgent diagnosis and adapted care can help to improve morbidity-mortality. Rehabilitation starts early and must systematically screen for cognitive or language impairment. The management of a stroke in a child must be planned for in multi-disciplinary protocols established before the patient's arrival at hospital., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The harmful consequences of bed rest and inactivity in patients in intensive care have been widely described. The point at which these patients should be mobilised and the methods used however still remain unclear. It is nevertheless important that the mobilisation is implemented early and often, adapted to the condition of the patient and overseen by a cross-disciplinary team., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Aims: There are many guidelines that help direct the management of patients with metal-on-metal (MOM) hip arthroplasties. We have undertaken a study to compare the management of patients with MOM hip arthroplasties in different countries., Methods: Six international tertiary referral orthopaedic centres were invited to participate by organising a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meeting, consisting of two or more revision hip arthroplasty surgeons and a musculoskeletal radiologist. A full clinical dataset including history, blood tests and imaging for ten patients was sent to each unit, for discussion and treatment planning. Differences in the interpretation of findings, management decisions and rationale for decisions were compared using quantitative and qualitative methods., Results: Overall agreement between the orthopaedic centres and the recommended treatment plans for the ten patients with MOM hip implants was moderate (kappa = 0.6). Full agreement was seen in a third of cases, however split decisions were also seen in a third of cases. Units differed in their interpretation of the significance of the investigation findings and put varying emphasis on serial changes, in the presence of symptoms., Discussion: In conclusion, the management of raised or rising blood metal ions, cystic pseudotumours and peri-acetabular osteolysis led to inconsistency in the agreement between centres. Coordinated international guidance and MDT panel discussions are recommended to improve consensus in decision making., Take Home Message: A lack of evidence and the subsequent variation in regulator guidance leads to differences in opinions, the clinical impact of which can be reduced through a multi-disciplinary team approach to managing patients with MOM hip implants. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B:179-86., (©2016 The British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery.)

A distinctive subset of metastatic breast cancer is represented by the so called 'oligometastatic' disease, characterized by single/few detectable metastatic lesions. A more aggressive multidisciplinary approach can be considered in this patient population: available data report favorable results of 'radical' local therapy for limited metastatic disease at least in a subset of selected patients. Selection bias and the retrospective nature of data do not allow for generalization of the results: the use of such approaches must be individualized and managed within a multidisciplinary team of dedicated specialists. Improvement in surgical and radiation techniques, development of new tools to deliver local chemotherapy, and new procedures (i.e. cryosurgery, laser and microwave ablation) mandate careful evaluation of such single and combined modalities in controlled clinical trials. A more accurate identification of patients with limited metastases and better definition of treatment endpoints will also allow correct patient selection for locally aggressive therapies. This paper focusses on local treatment of the primary tumor and of the most frequent distant disease sites in the presence of oligometastatic disease.