ABSTRACT
The ever-increasing complexity of cancer diagnosis and treatment requires the input and expertise of a wide range of specialists from the multiple disciplines involved in cancer care. The multidisciplinary team (MDT) has been defined by the UK Department of Health as a ‘group of people of different health care disciplines, which meets together at a given time to discuss a given patient and who are each able to contribute independently to the diagnostic and treatment decisions about the patient'. Breast care in the UK prior to the late 1980s was largely provided by generalists from all disciplines, with few specialist MDTs. In the UK, MDTs are a mandatory component of cancer care and, since 2004, have been regulated through a ‘Cancer Peer Review' programme, assessing adherence to national tumour-specific guidance regarding their structure and processes. The primary role of the breast cancer MDT is to coordinate and provide high-quality patient care in the diagnosis and management of breast cancer.
