Pineal gland tumor care at Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic specialists have experience caring for people with many types of pineal gland tumors.
Your Mayo Clinic care team
At Mayo Clinic, specialists within the Brain Tumor Program work together to provide comprehensive care for people with pineal gland tumors. Your care team might include neuro-oncologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists and radiologists. This means that you're not getting just one opinion. You benefit from the knowledge and experience of each specialist.
Close collaboration enables the team to have your test results available quickly and to coordinate scheduling your appointments. Evaluation and treatment that might take months elsewhere can typically be done in a matter of days at Mayo Clinic.
Advanced diagnosis and treatment
Accurate diagnosis is an important first step in treating a pineal gland tumor. Because treatment options can differ based on tumor type and location, careful evaluation and planning are essential. Once a treatment plan begins, changing course can be difficult. This is why a clear diagnosis and thoughtful planning are important from the start.
At Mayo Clinic, care teams with experience in pineal gland tumors work together to evaluate each case. Specialists use advanced imaging and diagnostic tools to identify the tumor type, understand how it is affecting nearby brain structures, and recommend appropriate treatment or monitoring options.
Mayo Clinic doctors have access to advanced brain imaging, including specialized MRI techniques, to help diagnose pineal gland tumors and guide treatment decisions. Imaging also may be used to monitor tumor behavior over time and assess response to treatment.
Mayo Clinic specialists often care for people referred from other centers that may not have experience treating rare brain tumors. Teams are experienced in caring for both children and adults with pineal gland tumors and in managing complex cases that require coordinated care.
Surgery
Surgery may be used to remove part or all of a pineal gland tumor, relieve pressure caused by fluid buildup in the brain, or obtain tissue for diagnosis. Mayo Clinic neurosurgeons have experience operating in the deep areas of the brain where the pineal gland is located while carefully protecting surrounding brain structures.
Radiation therapy
When radiation therapy is part of treatment, Mayo Clinic offers advanced radiation techniques designed to target the tumor while limiting exposure to healthy brain tissue. Radiation may be used alone or in combination with surgery or chemotherapy, depending on the tumor type and individual treatment plan.
Nationally recognized expertise
Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center meets the strict standards for a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. These standards recognize scientific excellence and a multispecialty approach focused on cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Mayo Clinic participates in the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. This organization brings together scientists throughout the U.S. and Canada. They work together to conduct clinical trials and reduce the impact of cancer.
Expertise and rankings
Mayo Clinic specialists are widely respected for their expertise and experience in caring for people with pineal gland tumors and other types of brain tumors.
- Experience caring for many people with brain tumors. The Brain Tumor Program brings together many specialists to provide comprehensive care for people with brain tumors.
- Skilled neurosurgeons who perform many procedures every year. If surgery is the most appropriate treatment, you want to be in the hands of experienced surgeons who perform these operations frequently. They use the latest technological advances available to them for treating pineal gland tumors.
- Leadership in brain tumor research. With the goal of seeking new knowledge and improving the reliability, comfort and cost of care, Mayo Clinic doctors continually study new diagnostic and treatment options through clinical trials. At Mayo Clinic, scientists and medical researchers are investigating the causes of pineal gland tumors and other brain tumors and are aggressively developing new treatments.
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings.
Learn more about Mayo Clinic's neurology and neurosurgery departments' expertise and rankings.
Feb. 17, 2026