The PATHWAY Study is an observational study to assess an existing clinical care pathway at the University Health Network that ensures eligible breast cancer patients are referred to medical oncology to discuss neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Despite evidence supporting NAC for biologically aggressive subtypes such as triple-negative and HER2-positive breast cancers, referral rates for oncology consultation remain low. This study aims to evaluate a standardized clinical care pathway that includes NAC eligibility screening, multidisciplinary cancer conference (MCC) discussion, and medical oncology referral.

The primary objectives are to assess the effectiveness of the current referral pathway, and to assess the end-user experience of the current pathway. Through both quantitative and qualitative methods, this study seeks to close the gap between guideline recommendations and clinical practice.