Clinical impact of multidisciplinary team management on postoperative short-term outcomes in colorectral cancer surgery.

Abstract

The multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach has become the standard for perioperative patient care. At our institution, a multidisciplinary perioperative care team called "Surgical, Nutrition and Rehabilitation Integrated Services for Excellence Team (SUNRISE)" was established for all patients with gastrointestinal cancer undergoing surgery. This study aimed to elucidate the significance of SUNRISE as a perioperative MDT by comparing short-term postoperative outcomes before and after the introduction of SUNRISE in patients with colorectal cancer. We included 181 patients diagnosed with colorectal who underwent radical surgical resection with regional lymphadenectomy. The patients were divided into two groups: the pre-SUNRISE group, consisting of 105 patients who underwent radical colorectal surgery before the introduction of the SUNRISE, and the SUNRISE group, consisting of 76 patients who underwent radical colorectal surgery after the introduction of the SUNRISE. We compared the short-term postoperative outcomes between these two groups and analyzed the risk factors affecting postoperative complications using logistic regression models. The incidence of postoperative complications in the SUNRISE group was significantly lower than that in the pre-SUNRISE group (22.4% vs. 41.0%, p = 0.011). Multivariate analysis identified the presence of SUNRISE (odds ratio, 0.33, 95% confidence interval, 0.15-0.73, p < 0.006) as an independent risk factor for postoperative complications. The median postoperative hospital stay in the SUNRISE group was significantly shorter than that in the pre-SUNRISE group (9 vs. 11 days, p < 0.01). The MDT approach is useful for optimizing preoperative patient care and improving short-term postoperative outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.