The sarcoma ring trial: a case-based analysis of inter-center agreement across 21 German-speaking sarcoma centers
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
Purpose: The management of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) at reference centers with specialized multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTB) improves patient survival. The German Cancer Society (DKG) certifies sarcoma centers in German-speaking countries, promoting high standards of care. This study investigated the variability in treatment recommendations for localized STS across different German-speaking tertiary sarcoma centers. Methods: In this cross-sectional case-based survey study, 5 anonymized patient cases with imaging data of localized STS were presented to MTBs of 21 German-speaking tertiary referral hospitals. Centers provided recommendations on treatment sequence and modalities, along with the consensus level within their MTB. Agreement percentages were calculated, and consensus levels were rated on a scale of 1 to 10. Results: Five patient cases were discussed resulting in 105 recommendations. Agreement percentages for case 1 to 5 were 14.3%, 61.9%, 33.3%, 52.4% and 9.3%, with a median agreement percentage of 33.3%. Grouping pre- and postoperative therapies as "perioperative" and including recommendations with and without regional hyperthermia raised the median agreement to 47.6%. The mean consensus level within each center across all 5 cases was 9.5. Conclusion: This first case-based analysis of inter-center agreement for STS management in German-speaking countries reveals low inter-center agreement but high intra-center consensus. Our study includes nearly all tertiary sarcoma centers in German-speaking countries, affirming its strong external validity. These findings suggest potential and clinically very relevant differences in treatment standards among sarcoma centers. Enhanced case-based exchanges and collaborative efforts are needed to reduce discrepancies and standardize the management of STS patients.
Details
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | 30 |
Journal | Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology |
Volume | 151 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 4 Jan 2025 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
PubMed | 39755880 |
---|
Keywords
Sustainable Development Goals
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Keywords
- German Cancer Society, Guidelines, Inter-center agreement, Reference center, Ring trial, Soft tissue sarcoma