Colon Cancer

Research

Mayo Clinic is an international leader in colon cancer research. Mayo Clinic physicians have led the study and use of minimally invasive (laparoscopic) surgery for colon cancers, performing more than 1,000 such surgeries since 1991. In addition, Mayo physicians have made significant contributions to advances in chemotherapy, intraoperative radiation, expanded roles for surgery in colon cancer cases, pharmacogenetic testing and stool testing. Mayo Clinic-led clinical trials resulted in the approval of a new chemotherapy drug — oxaliplatin — to treat advanced colon cancer. Mayo Clinic physicians are at the forefront of evaluating the effectiveness of computerized tomographic (CT) colonography, the so-called virtual colonoscopy, which offers a quicker, more comfortable exam for patients. Several ongoing research projects are looking for ways to improve the accuracy of CT colonography for the prepared colon, and to develop techniques for examining the unprepared colon.

Publications

See a list of publications by Mayo Clinic doctors on colon cancer on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.