Abstract: Background and purpose: Stage Ⅲ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents a heterogeneous group of diseases. According to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), multidisciplinary team (MDT) is an optimal treatment for stage Ⅲ NSCLC, and individualized treatment is emphasized as well. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of MDT on stage Ⅲ NSCLC. Methods: Five hundred and ninety-four cases with stage Ⅲ NSCLC, defined as MDT group, were enrolled in the 3^rd Affiliated Teaching Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University. They were divided into two subgroups by whether following the advice of MDT, and the data were analyzed using Chi-Square test. Kaplan-Meier survival method was used to calculate the overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and disease-free survival (DFS), and the survival curves were generated. P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. One hundred and ninety-eight cases with stage Ⅲ NSCLC, defined as non-MDT group, were included from 2010 to 2011 before establishment of MDT. The consistency of clinical and pathological staging, length of stay and satisfaction of patients were compared between the two groups. Results: There were significant differences in median PFS and OS between the two subgroups. The median PFS was 7.0 and 6.0 months (P＜0.05), and the median OS was 28.0 and 24.0 months (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in DFS between the subgroups (P=0.24). Univariate and multivariate analyses of the prognostic factors for stage Ⅲ NSCLC showed that surgery or not, whether follow the advice of MDT, histological type and stage were independent risk factors affecting the prognosis (P<0.05). MDT group had a higher degree of consistency of clinical and pathological staging compared with non-MDT group (74.24% vs 65.22% , P＜0.05). The median satisfaction of patients of MDT was better than that of non-MDT group (2.68 vs 2.01, P＜0.05). The length of stay in hospital between the two groups had no significant difference. Conclusion: MDT is an optimal treatment for stage Ⅲ NSCLC.

Key words: Multidisciplinary team, Non-small cell lung cancer, Prognosis