Stage 4 (metastatic) colon cancer

Colon cancer care at Mayo Clinic

For decades, Mayo Clinic has been a world leader in providing comprehensive, state-of-the-art care for people with cancers of the colon and rectum.

Your Mayo Clinic care team

Mayo Clinic doctors work in multidisciplinary teams of specialists to provide comprehensive care for people with colon cancer. Your care team might include:

• Gastroenterologists.
• Colon and rectal surgeons.
• Oncologists.
• Radiation oncologists.
• Radiologists.
• Pathologists.
• Other doctors, as needed, such as those trained in medical genetics, general surgery, gynecologic surgery or urologic surgery.

Other healthcare professionals also play an important role in your care. These experts may include:

• Cancer education specialists.
• Nurses specially trained to work with people who have cancer.
• Dietitians.
• Social workers.
• Occupational therapists.
• Physical therapists.

Members of your care team spend time getting to know you, so they understand what's important to you. The result is a treatment plan that puts you at the center of the care you receive.

Your doctor at Mayo Clinic will work with you to review your treatment options and choose the treatment that best suits your needs and goals. The range of treatments offered to people with colon and rectal cancer includes chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy and a variety of operations, including minimally invasive surgery and robotic surgery.

Molecular profiling of tumors using a next-generation sequencing approach and screening for potential immunotherapy options are standard parts of colon cancer care at Mayo Clinic.

Mayo Clinic also offers palliative care services to help you manage the side effects of cancer treatment, as well as symptoms of cancer itself. Cancer survivorship clinics are available after cancer treatment ends. A cancer survivorship clinic may help you cope with the physical and emotional changes that sometimes appear after cancer treatment.

Advanced diagnosis and treatment

Mayo Clinic doctors and scientists have been at the forefront of colon cancer research for many years. They use knowledge and experience gained in research to improve care for people with colon cancer.

Similarly, the colon and rectal surgeons at Mayo Clinic draw on decades of cumulative experience treating colon cancer in a high-volume practice. They specialize in removal (resection) of complex tumors affecting multiple organs and structures in the abdomen and pelvis.

Mayo Clinic doctors have access to the latest treatment techniques, including:

• Innovative treatments for liver metastases. Mayo Clinic offers the latest treatments for colon cancer that spreads to the liver or the abdominal cavity, called the peritoneum. These newer therapies can help people with liver metastases live longer. Procedures include hepatic artery infusion pump (HAIP) chemotherapy, cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), and pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC).

  These highly specialized therapies require precise skill and experience that a high-volume center such as Mayo Clinic can offer. At Mayo Clinic, our cancer team has extensive training and a track record of success with each one.

• Minimally invasive surgery. During minimally invasive surgery, also called laparoscopic surgery, for colon cancer, several small incisions are made in the abdomen. Special tools and a camera are placed through the incisions. This allows the surgeon to remove the cancer without the need to make one large incision. Colorectal surgeons at Mayo Clinic were among the earliest users of laparoscopic procedures for cancers of the colon and rectum. Today, colon cancer operations are done using a minimally invasive approach when possible.
• Robotic surgery. During robotic surgery, the surgeon sits at a console and uses controls to guide high-tech surgical tools. Robotic surgery has the advantage of allowing the surgeon to work more easily in small spaces and gives the surgeon an enhanced view of the area where the operation is taking place. At Mayo Clinic, the use of robotics has produced excellent outcomes in surgery for complex colorectal tumors involving multiple organs and structures in the pelvis.
• Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT). Radiation oncologists at Mayo Clinic believe that IORT is ideal for treating cancers that are likely to come back in the same area after surgery alone. Also, IORT is helpful for cancers that are near sensitive organs.
• Optimized adjuvant therapy. Researchers at Mayo Clinic led the first clinical trial of chemotherapy given after colon cancer surgery, called adjuvant chemotherapy, to reduce the risk of recurring disease. Mayo Clinic oncologists continue to study the best medicine combinations and treatment lengths to make adjuvant therapy most effective and minimize the side effects.
• Liver transplantation. Mayo Clinic's three-site Liver Transplant Program is one of the largest in the country. Mayo Clinic also has one of the largest living-donor programs in the United States. Living-donor transplant is an option that, for many people, reduces time on the waiting list for a donor liver and improves outcomes.

Conocimientos y categorías

Mayo Clinic doctors have the knowledge and resources to provide comprehensive care for those with colon cancer. At Mayo Clinic, you can expect:

• Personalized care. At Mayo Clinic, gastroenterologists, colon and rectal surgeons, oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, and pathologists work as a team to make sure all of your needs are addressed in your care plan. Other experts are included as needed.
• Experience you can trust. Mayo Clinic doctors are highly respected for their expertise in diagnosis and treatment of colon cancer. Mayo Clinic doctors care for more than 4,000 people with colon cancer each year.
• Nationally recognized expertise. Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center meets the strict standards for a National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center. These standards recognize scientific excellence and a multispecialty approach focused on cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Mayo Clinic ha sido reconocido como uno de los mejores hospitales oncológicos según la revista U.S. News & World Report desde que comenzó a publicar las clasificaciones en 1990. Recientemente, las sedes de Mayo Clinic en Rochester (Minnesota), Jacksonville (Florida) y Phoenix y Scottsdale (Arizona), fueron reconocidas entre los mejores hospitales oncológicos del país durante el período 2024-2025 por la revista U.S. News & World Report.

Ubicaciones, viajes y alojamiento

Mayo Clinic tiene importantes instalaciones en Phoenix y Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; y Rochester, Minnesota. El Sistema de Salud de Mayo Clinic tiene docenas de instalaciones en diversos estados.

Para obtener más información sobre visitas a Mayo Clinic, elija su ubicación en el siguiente menú:

Costos y seguro médico

Mayo Clinic trabaja con cientos de compañías de seguros y es un proveedor de atención médica de la red para millones de personas.

En la mayoría de los casos, Mayo Clinic no requiere la remisión de un médico. Algunas compañías de seguros requieren remisiones o pueden tener requisitos adicionales para determinada atención médica. Todas las citas médicas se priorizan en función de la necesidad médica.

Infórmate más sobre las citas médicas en Mayo Clinic.

Comunícate con tu compañía de seguros para verificar la cobertura médica y para obtener cualquier autorización que necesites antes de la visita. Muchas veces, el teléfono del servicio al cliente de la compañía de seguros se encuentra impreso en el reverso de la tarjeta del seguro.