Experts tackle tough cases in tumor boards
If you’re diagnosed with a brain tumor, you want to be confident that you are getting the best treatments possible.
To make that happen, Orlando Health Cancer Institute physicians collaborate with a range of experts — from neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists to speech therapists and nurse navigators — on diagnoses and treatments for their patients.
The goal: to provide unified, comprehensive care.
“Tumor boards are a staple in our care plan and the touchstone where all disciplines interface in real time to tackle the most acute or difficult problems,” says Dr. Nick Avgeropoulos, co-director of the Brain and Spine Tumor Program at Orlando Health Cancer Institute. “The more eyes and ears that get in on a case, the better the outcome.”
The tumor boards can lead to different treatments, such as:
• Proton therapies
• Clinical trials, including ones for vaccines or devices
• Innovative interventions
In a typical month, about 40 tumor boards meet across several Orlando Health cancer subspecialties, including brain, breast, hematology and thoracic. Doctors discuss complicated cases to reach consensus on the best treatment for each patient.
A physician who has never met the patient can give an unbiased opinion that can change the trajectory of that patient’s care for the better.
“Even if you’re not on the case, it can make the difference in someone’s life. And you may not even know it,” Dr. Avgeropoulos says. “That’s the best kind of input that exemplifies what the higher purpose of the tumor board is.”
In-person tumor boards shifted to virtual and hybrid meetings because of COVID-19, but that move has in many cases increased participation. Physicians may be at home, in their car or waiting in the operating room to do surgery, and they can still join the meeting virtually.
Any physician who is affiliated with Orlando Health, involved with the care of a patient being presented at the tumor board or invited by the patient’s provider can attend a tumor board.
“The physicians don’t view this as a chore. They view it as a way of paying it forward and contributing to the general wellness of patients,” Dr. Avgeropoulos says.