Oncology

Overview

Each year thousands of patients suffering from any of more than 200 kinds of cancer seek treatment through Mayo Clinic's oncology departments. The departments encompass medical oncology, which administers chemotherapy and immunotherapy, and radiation oncology, which treats cancers with radiation. The departments practice in conjunction with the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, which ranks in the top tier of cancer centers in the United States for cancer research, clinical treatment and education.

The most common cancers seen at Mayo Clinic are cancer of the colon and rectum, breast, prostate, and lung; but oncologists have extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of every kind of cancer, including brain tumors, sarcomas, melanoma, kidney cancer, ovarian cancer, hepatoma, biliary cancer, pancreatic cancer and neuroendocrine cancers.

Patients have access to novel drug, immunologic, and gene therapies through clinical trials.

Innovative and advanced cancer care is available at Mayo Clinic through state-of-the-art facilities and expert staff. Mayo's oncology services include:

• Bone marrow transplantation
• Electronic portal imaging device (EPID) target localization
• Familial cancer genetics screening and counseling
• Stereotactic radiosurgery
• High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy
• Hyperthermia
• Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
• Intraoperative radiation therapy (both with HDR and linear accelerator)
• Intravascular brachytherapy
• Low dose rate brachytherapy for ocular melanoma
• Permanent prostate brachytherapy
• Radiofrequency ablation of tumors
• Small field conformal radiation therapy

Oncologists work closely with physicians from virtually every speciality at Mayo in the care of patients with cancer.