Table 3.

Highlighted gaps in the research field identified by the scoping review, with associated research initiatives

Research Gaps

Future Research Initiatives

• Studies focused on patient-related outcomes, such as perceived quality of life indicators • Substantial lack of prospective comparative trials • Knowledge regarding the prognosis and survival of patients with MBD-E, especially in those who undergo a surgical intervention, including en bloc resection • Knowledge regarding survival outcomes of MBD-E patients in the setting of new targeted biologic therapies • Understanding of the health resource and economic implications of MBD-E and its surgical management • Lack of evidence based multi-disciplinary clinical decision-making approaches and algorithms, as well as for surgical adjuncts such as radiotherapy

• Patient and family surveys, multi-disciplinary meetings and trial planning to assess identified knowledge gaps and patient-related outcomes • Development and validation of a patient-related outcome measurement tool for MBD-E • Further development of prospective, multi-centered registries for patients with MBD-E • Further research into economic implications of MBD-E and associated surgical interventions • Assessing the utility of en bloc resection vs. stabilization in oligometastatic disease [31]