A nationwide provider survey of neuro-oncology tumor boards in a lower-middle-income country: Comparing centers with and without tumor boards

Objectives: To provide information about implementation, resources, practice patterns and prevalent perceptions regarding neuro-oncology tumor boards (NOTBs) in a lower middle income country.

Methods: A nationwide survey was designed to include licensed neurosurgeons involving data on practice, structure, and perceptions of NOTBs with non-probability sampling, a pre-validated proforma, data analysis using SPSS v27, and geospatial mapping using Quantum GIS.

Results: 139 neurosurgeons were surveyed from 63 neurosurgical centers of a lower middle income country. 15/63 neurosurgical centers had dedicated NOTBs. Neurosurgeons from centers with NOTBs had better access to palliative care with radiation oncologists (70 %) and services (73 %) as compared to those without NOTBs (44 %, p = 0.012 and 44 %, p = 0.004). 76.3 % of neurosurgeons routinely prescribed postoperative CT scans with higher rate in centers without NOTBs (94 % vs. 80 %, p = 0.024). 57.6 % of neurosurgeons prescribed postoperative MRI scans within six weeks for intra-axial pathology, with higher rates in NOTB centers (63 % vs. 56 %, not significant). The perceived positive effects of NOTBs included improved patient outcomes (87.6 %), expedited centralized patient care (88.3 %), decreased referral times (74.4 %), increased uptake of adjuvant management (66.4 %), decreased mortality/morbidity (73.1 %), and significant treatment (78.5 %) and diagnostic plan changes (77.4 %) while perceived negative effects included the time-consuming nature (20.7 %), and suffering of patients due to wait associated with NOTBs (36 %). The perceived barriers included "lack of administrative support" (17.1 %), "limited resources" (15.2 %), and "lack of standardized protocols or guidelines" (13.8 %).

Conclusion: In this nationwide situational report from a lower middle income country, only a quarter of neurosurgical units had dedicated NOTBs. The centers with NOTBs were mostly education/training centers, and had better access/availability to palliative decision-making and care. The neurosurgeons from centers with NOTBs had lower rates of prescribing immediate postoperative CT scans while higher rates of prescribing MRI scans within 6 weeks for intra-axial pathology. Therefore, NOTBs can help advocate for judicious use of neuroimaging and increased uptake of adjuvant palliative treatment. While perceived effects were similar, the nature of perceived barriers was different for LMIC and HIC. Our study can aid policymakers, hospitals, and healthcare professionals, and can provide a roadmap for future in-depth studies with geospatial mapping of resources/services to fully elucidate the inequalities.