Sarcoma or Phaeochromocytoma? Lessons from multi-disciplinary team working

Abstract

An issue in the practice of oncology is the patient with a rare malignancy, where the challenge to the clinician is to rapidly understand the diagnosis and prioritise the best management approach. We present the case of a patient who was initially thought to have a malignant sarcoma and was eventually found to have an unusual, aggressive neuroendocrine tumour. This case stresses the importance of multi-disciplinary team (MDT) working and good communication and raises the pertinent issue of risk analysis in such settings. The case has greater relevance as it has led to a re-evaluation of how such cases are handled and heralded the introduction of a system of internal peer review.