A new publication in Acta Oncologica reports results from a Nordic survey on multidisciplinary team meetings for lung cancer. The study describes how lung cancer multidisciplinary team meetings are organised across the Nordic countries and contributes to ongoing discussion about quality, consistency, and collaboration in thoracic oncology care.
Multidisciplinary team meetings are a central part of modern lung cancer care. They bring together expertise from pulmonology, oncology, thoracic surgery, radiology, pathology, nuclear medicine, specialist nursing, and other disciplines to support diagnosis, staging, treatment planning, and follow-up decisions.
Why this research matters
Lung cancer care is increasingly complex. Treatment decisions often depend on tumour stage, molecular findings, patient fitness, imaging, pathology, local treatment options, and access to clinical trials. A structured multidisciplinary approach can help ensure that relevant expertise is included when treatment plans are discussed.
Nordic collaboration is important because healthcare systems share many similarities, but clinical workflows and multidisciplinary team structures may still differ between countries and centres. Understanding these differences can help identify opportunities for shared learning, quality improvement, and future harmonisation.
Key questions addressed by Nordic MDT research
- How are lung cancer multidisciplinary team meetings organised across Nordic countries?
- Which specialties are involved in lung cancer treatment planning?
- How are patients selected for multidisciplinary discussion?
- How do MDT workflows affect staging, treatment recommendations, and care pathways?
- Where is there variation between countries or centres?
- How can Nordic collaboration support more consistent and high-quality lung cancer care?
Connection to NTOG research priorities
This publication fits closely with NTOG’s research priorities in multidisciplinary care, Nordic lung cancer registries, quality indicators, treatment pathways, and collaborative clinical research. Better understanding of MDT organisation may also support future studies on treatment variation, access to specialist care, implementation of guidelines, and outcomes for patients with lung cancer.
Publication details
The article, Multidisciplinary team meetings for lung cancer in the Nordic countries: results from a Nordic survey, was published in Acta Oncologica in 2026. Authors include Anja Gouliaev, Janna Berg, Johan Isaksson, Heidi Andersén, and Torben Riis Rasmussen.