Brainstem tumor care at Mayo Clinic
Your Mayo Clinic care team
Mayo Clinic specialists are respected for their expertise and experience caring for people with brainstem tumors, including those with all types of glioma.
At Mayo Clinic, specialists within the Brain Tumor Program work together to create a care plan that fits your needs. Your care team might include neuro-oncologists, neurosurgeons, neurologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, neuropathologists and radiologists. These specialists bring focused expertise in brainstem tumors and collaborate closely at every step.
Having this level of subspecialized care in one place means you receive more than one opinion. Your imaging and test results are reviewed together, your appointments are coordinated, and your case is discussed among experts who care for complex brain tumors every day. This team approach helps ensure you receive answers sooner and a clear plan to move forward.
Mayo Clinic also provides expert care for children with brain tumors. Our pediatric neuro-oncologists work with a team of specialists to diagnose and treat pediatric brain tumors and provide children with the personalized treatment they require.
What might take months to accomplish elsewhere can typically be done in only a matter of days at Mayo Clinic.
Advanced diagnosis and treatment
Accurate diagnosis is essential for choosing the right treatment. Once a treatment path begins, it may not be possible to change therapies. At Mayo Clinic, brain tumor experts focus on brainstem tumors every day. This experience helps ensure your care team makes an accurate diagnosis and recommends the right treatment for you from the start.
Mayo Clinic specialists have access to advanced imaging technology that helps them understand the exact location and behavior of a brainstem tumor. This includes functional MRI, perfusion MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Mayo Clinic scientists have a long history of creating and improving imaging tools that are now used worldwide.
Mayo Clinic neuropathologists analyze brain tumor tissue in the lab to confirm the diagnosis. They review many tissue samples each year, including rare tumors, and use the latest testing methods to identify important features of the tumor. An accurate diagnosis helps your care team create the most effective treatment plan for you.
Neurosurgeons at Mayo Clinic use the latest operative techniques to treat brainstem tumors. These techniques aim to remove as much of the tumor as possible while protecting nearby areas that control movement, swallowing and breathing. Use of advanced surgical approaches can improve outcomes and quality of life after surgery.
Mayo Clinic care teams use approaches that aim to improve function and support long-term quality of life. You'll have access to a full range of treatment options. This includes innovative forms of radiation therapy that allow care teams to focus treatment on the tumor while limiting exposure to healthy tissue. These options include:
Expertise and rankings
Mayo is known for high case volume in complex neurosurgery. People come to Mayo Clinic from across the country and the world for care.
Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center meets the strict standards for a U.S. National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center. These standards recognize scientific excellence and a multispecialty approach focused on cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
A Mayo Clinic expert serves as a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's Central Nervous System Cancers Panel. This panel writes the guidelines used by oncologists and surgeons across the world to care for people with brain tumors.
Mayo Clinic is part of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, a group of scientists throughout the U.S. and Canada who work together to conduct clinical trials and reduce the impact of cancer.
Nationally recognized brain tumor expertise and rankings
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, ranks among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery and for cancer in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. Mayo Clinic Children's in Rochester is ranked the No. 1 hospital in Minnesota and the five-state region of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2025–2026 "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings. With the emphasis on collaborative care, specialists interact very closely with their colleagues across all sites.
Locations, travel and lodging
Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.
For more information on visiting Mayo Clinic, choose your location below:
Costs and insurance
Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people.
In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. All appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need.
Learn more about appointments at Mayo Clinic.
Please contact your insurance company to verify medical coverage and to obtain any needed authorization prior to your visit. Often, your insurer's customer service number is printed on the back of your insurance card.
Feb. 06, 2026