Fostering a Team-Based Approach to Elevate Neuro-Oncology Care

Sylvia Kurz, MD, PhD, spoke with CancerNetwork® about the importance of collaborating with multiple disciplines to elevate the level of care and meet the needs of patients with brain tumors.

According to Kurz, an associate professor of neurology (neuro-oncology) as part of the Chênevert Family Brain Tumor Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center, she works with members from the neurosurgery, radiation oncology, and neurorehabilitation departments to ensure that patients regain strength and functionality for day-to-day living as they undergo treatment for their disease. Additionally, multidisciplinary collaboration includes the involvement of palliative care services, social workers, and psychological counselors, which may help patients and their loved ones cope with diagnoses and treatments.

Transcript:

It does take a village in neuro-oncology to provide good care to patients. All [types of] specialties are part of our team approach. I'd say the vast majority of my patients will see multiple specialties very early on in their illnesses. That includes neurosurgery, radiation oncology, me, and neurorehabilitation. Most of our patients will go to rehab after initial resection or if they're readmitted. It's a very common thing to send them to rehab to regain strength and functionality in daily activities.

[Regarding] palliative care, many of my patients are involved with palliative care services early on. I would also say that many neuro-oncologists feel very comfortable providing palliative care, meaning symptom-oriented care, themselves to those patients. I would also say toward the end of life that we don't rely on palliative care services to have those discussions, but we...are always part of these discussions, as we should be. Yes, we do work a lot with social workers and psychological counselors to help patients and their families cope with their diagnosis and treatments.

This is the center of what we do, and we involve multidisciplinary teams for most of our patients.