Colon cancer surgery at Mayo Clinic

The colon and rectal surgeons at Mayo Clinic are leading the way in colon cancer surgery. Our teams are creating the future of colon cancer care and bringing it into the operating room for patients today.

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Nearly 1,000 people have colon cancer surgery at Mayo Clinic each year.

We are the No. 1 ranked hospital for gastroenterology and GI surgery, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Mayo Clinic was one of the first National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in 1973.

When you need colon cancer surgery, we’re here to help

The colon and rectal surgeons at Mayo Clinic deliver the best possible colon cancer care with understanding and compassion. Our teams are leading the way in colon cancer surgery, developing new techniques and enhancing existing surgeries for better outcomes with simpler recoveries.

Focused on you

At Mayo Clinic, your care team has a deep understanding of colon cancer. The team also works to understand you — your goals, your health history and even your genes, especially those that may have affected your cancer. Each patient at Mayo Clinic has a comprehensive evaluation with plenty of time to ask questions. This helps your team put together a plan that is right for you.

Skilled and specialty trained

From the most common situations to the most serious and complex, our colon cancer experts are here for you. They have spent countless hours honing their skills with common procedures. And in many cases, Mayo Clinic is one of only a few facilities providing advanced techniques such as pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) for cancer that has spread in the peritoneum and liver transplant for cancer that has spread to the liver.

Meeting your needs

At Mayo Clinic, we understand the broad impact a cancer diagnosis has on your life. That’s why our surgical teams consider your recovery and quality of life, right from the start. We were pioneers in creating minimally invasive surgery options for colon cancer, and we’ve continued to study methods that help you recover faster and with fewer complications.

“I have never seen medical professionals conduct themselves like the professionals at Mayo Clinic. It was a humbling feeling to be treated with such respect and such care.”

Maurice O.

Mayo Clinic patient

Making the inoperable, operable

Many patients come to Mayo Clinic for surgical options when they previously had none. We are a NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, which means our physicians are researchers. They are providing state-of-the-art surgical care today, while developing the care options of tomorrow. Our colon and rectal surgeons employ the latest technologies and comprehensive care planning so the most people possible can have lifesaving colon cancer surgery.

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Our surgeons are part of your team, so you can focus on healing.

At Mayo Clinic, colon and rectal surgeons work together with the colon cancer team at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. Your team may include surgeons, oncologists, gastroenterologists, radiation oncologists and more. While your team collaborates on the complicated logistics of your care plan, you can focus on healing.

This multidisciplinary approach has led to treatment advancements and a seamless patient experience. We led the first clinical trial providing adjuvant chemotherapy following colon cancer surgery, a practice that is now used around the world to reduce risk of recurrence. And we’re even one of the few institutions offering synchronous cancer treatment, which involves removing tumors from multiple organs in a single operation.

Why choose Mayo Clinic for colorectal cancer

Amit Merchea, M.D., Colon and Rectal Surgery: There's a number of exciting things in the future for colorectal cancer care and research occurring at Mayo Clinic. These encompass new chemotherapeutics or immune therapies from surgical approaches. We're continuing to push the limits with robotic surgery and digital surgery using augmented reality and artificial intelligence. And this really helps enhance the care that we can deliver for patients with colorectal cancer.

David W. Larson, M.D., M.B.A., Colon and Rectal Surgery: Quality of life issues are a big issue for most patients. It is one of their number one questions. And we spend a lot of time educating the patient and trying to determine what their goals of quality of life are.

Shabana F. Pasha, M.D., Gastroenterology & Hepatology: So I think as Mayo Clinic physicians we are always available to answer questions, including making the decision whether or not a patient would benefit from a referral to Mayo Clinic. We usually request records for patients ahead of time. We preschedule tests and appointments, so if a patient needs a procedure, if they need to meet with the surgeon, again, if they need to meet with a genetic specialist, so all those tests are prescheduled wherein a patient can come in. If they are from out-of-state, they can fly in for a gastroenterology appointment, get all the necessary tests done and then return home.

Tanios Bekaii-Saab, M.D., F.A.C.P., Medical Oncology: I think that having a center that's focused on research, but research that's applied to patient care. And that's what Mayo does best, is a certainly a plus, a positive that ensures that patients have access to the most innovative and the latest and the greatest that can't be found anywhere on the planet.

Amit Merchea, M.D.: So I think patients to seek care at Mayo Clinic with colorectal cancer because we really offer the expertise in treating this. We are a high volume Cancer Center. Our outcomes with colorectal cancer set benchmarks across the country. And patients have high-quality, safe and effective care. I think for any patient who's seeking surgical treatment for colorectal cancer, it's important that they look at not just the surgeon as an individual but the team.

Tanios Bekaii-Saab, M.D.: And because of our integrated care, so a patient comes through the door for screening, if we find a polyp, or we find a cancer, that patient is meeting with the gastroenterologist and in no time with a surgeon, or the geneticists, with the medical oncologists if needed, and then anyone as part of the team. And that is quite unique. And that is why I think the care overall, the integrated level of care, at Mayo Clinic is certainly superior care.

If it’s on your mind, it’s part of our process

At Mayo Clinic, we help with the real-life logistical challenges that come with a colon cancer diagnosis. Here, you have a suite of resources, including nonmedical support.

Dedicated care coordination

We know it’s important to get an accurate diagnosis and begin treatment as soon as possible. So, we make the most of your time with shorter wait times and a consolidated appointment itinerary.

Complete travel support

We offer an array of custom patient travel services to ensure the stresses of distance or special requests don’t get in the way of you getting the colon cancer care you need.

Helpful insurance specialists

At Mayo Clinic, we are in-network with many major insurance providers, and we don’t require a referral for you to seek care here. Our helpful patient account teams are available to answer questions and help with precertifications.

Nationally recognized for our colon cancer expertise

Mayo Clinic is ranked No. 1 in more specialties than any other hospital in the U.S., according to U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, has been recognized as the best gastroenterology and GI surgery hospital in the nation every year since 1990, when the rankings were first established.

We are the only NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center with three unique locations. U.S. News and World Report ranks Mayo Clinic among the top three cancer hospitals in the nation and No. 1 in each state in which we have a campus: Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.

Our teams are standing by at our three locations to help you schedule a colon cancer appointment.