Collaborative Care at Virginia Oncology Associates

Tumor Board

The National Cancer Institute defines a Tumor Board as a treatment planning approach in which a number of doctors who are experts in different specialties review and discuss the medical condition and treatment options of a patient. In cancer treatment, a Tumor Board review may include that of a medical oncologist (a doctor who provides cancer treatment with drugs), a surgical oncologist (a doctor who provides cancer treatment with surgery), and a radiation oncologist (a doctor who provides cancer treatment with radiation). The ultimate goal of the Tumor Board is to review and discuss a patient's medical condition and to identify the best possible treatment plans available. Ultimately, the physician who presents his or her patient's circumstances to the Tumor Board can share that information with the patient and develop a suitable treatment plan.

Several times a month, VOA hosts Tumor Board meetings, during which local clinicians discuss several complex cancer cases. Our Tumor Boards provide multidisciplinary care perspectives for patients with an emphasis on new developments in treatment and participation in clinical trials. They also provide a forum to educate physicians, fellows, residents, nurses and other healthcare providers and to share relevant research findings.

During Tumor Boards, facts about a case are presented, which opens the discussion among diagnostic radiology, medical, radiation, and surgical oncology teams. Pathologists (doctors who specialize in interpreting laboratory tests and evaluate cells, tissues, and organs to diagnose disease) may also be present to help round out the discussion.