Dr. Jain on the Importance of Communication for Multidisciplinary Care in CRC

Shikha Jain, MD, FACP, assistant professor of medicine, director of communication strategies in medicine, University of Illinois (UI) College of Medicine, associate director of oncology communication and digital innovation, UI Cancer Center, medical oncologist, Department of Hematology and Oncology, UI Health, discusses the importance of communication in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and liver metastases who are receiving multidisciplinary care.

Communication is a key aspect to optimizing multidisciplinary care in patients with CRC and liver metastases because not all patients receive the same course of treatment, Jain explains. Some patients may receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy, whereas others will proceed directly to surgery. As such, it is critical to include surgeons, radiation oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, and medical oncologists in treatment decision discussions, such as tumor boards, to ensure patients are matched to the optimal treatment for their disease, Jain explains. Moreover, it is important to include patients on these discussions, especially those with newly diagnosed disease for whom a treatment course is being determined.

As medical oncologists tend to have the most sustained interaction with patients, it is important that these clinicians are in constant communication with the multidisciplinary team to solidify a comprehensive treatment course before initiating therapy, Jain concludes.