Aug. 26, 2026
Mayo Clinic's cancer survivorship clinics help patients manage issues after treatment for gastrointestinal (GI) and other cancers. Select patients have follow-up surveillance, while all patients are offered integrative medicine services aimed at optimizing physical and mental health.
"It's unique in that we provide both surveillance and lifestyle and symptom management for Mayo Clinic patients," says Stacy D. D'Andre, M.D., a medical oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "The goal is to empower our patients by giving them many resources for improving lifestyle and answering all the questions that patients have after cancer treatment."
Healthcare professionals in the cancer survivorship clinics work closely with oncologists and other specialists in the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. Currently, patients who have colorectal cancer treatment at Mayo Clinic can be referred to the cancer survivorship clinics. Referrals for patients with other types of GI cancer are planned. In the meantime, those patients can receive integrative oncology care by Oncology.
Cancer survivorship services are based on patients' individual needs. Specific services aimed at physical health and nutrition include:
- Acupuncture, Reiki and massage to help manage side effects of cancer treatment.
- Physical therapy and exercise evaluations.
- Dietitian consultation.
- Weight management counseling.
- Wellness cooking and meal prep classes.
Specific services targeting well-being and supportive care include:
- Advice on dietary supplements.
- Visits with licensed clinical social workers.
- Lifestyle education and other nurse-led classes.
- Stress management consultation.
- Sexual health consultation.
- Wellness health coaching.
- Referral to Cancer Center programs on mindfulness and fatigue management.
"We work to give every patient a well-defined pathway, a team that follows them and seamless transition from active treatment to survivorship care."
"We work to give every patient a well-defined pathway, a team that follows them and seamless transition from active treatment to survivorship care," Dr. D'Andre says.
State-of-the-art resources are available both in person and virtually. Cancer survivorship specialists also can help out-of-town patients access integrative care at home, if desired. "For example, we can help patients find a licensed home acupuncturist," Dr. D'Andre says.
Integrative medicine services are available throughout the care process. Patients with newly diagnosed rectal cancer might be referred to the cancer survivorship clinics for prehabilitation.
"These patients often have 4 to 6 months of chemotherapy or radiation therapy or both before surgery. During that time, we work with them on diet, exercise, stress reduction and other efforts that can improve their surgical outcomes," Dr. D'Andre says.
After surgery at Mayo Clinic, all patients with colorectal cancer have initial follow-up surveillance by Oncology or Gastroenterology. Surveillance moves to the cancer survivorship centers after two years if there is no evidence of disease. "If we detect any changes suggesting recurrence, patients are referred back to their oncologists," Dr. D'Andre says.
Post-treatment integrative care for colorectal cancer stresses the importance of exercise. "There is a lot of data showing that exercise reduces the risk of recurrence, so we really emphasize that," Dr. D'Andre says.
The cancer survivorship clinics underscore Mayo Clinic's commitment to integrative medicine in cancer care. "Mayo Clinic is open to this type of innovative care," Dr. D'Andre says. "We are creating a meaningful community for patients while they transition from cancer treatment to survivorship."
For more information
Cancer survivorship clinics. Mayo Clinic.
Comprehensive Cancer Center. Mayo Clinic.
Integrative Oncology. Mayo Clinic.
Refer a patient to Mayo Clinic.