Mayo Clinic's approach

If you're considering cystectomy, your Mayo Clinic treatment team will conduct extensive testing and consultations to understand your condition and your needs in order to recommend the most appropriate treatment for you.

When you come to Mayo Clinic, you have access to a variety of procedures and treatment approaches, including:

Teamwork

At Mayo Clinic, urologists work with a variety of specialists as a multidisciplinary team to provide whole-person care for people considering cystectomy. Members of your care team work together to develop individualized care plans tailored to custom fit your needs.

Experience

Mayo Clinic urologic surgeons have extensive experience performing cystectomy and urinary tract reconstruction for people with bladder cancer and other conditions.

Each year, Mayo Clinic doctors complete more than 160 radical cystectomies. Higher volumes are associated with lower complication rates. With experience, Mayo Clinic doctors are able to recognize complications quickly and treat them effectively. Surgeon experience is one of the most important factors involved in your recovery after cystectomy.

Expertise

Mayo Clinic urologic surgeons pioneered many of the techniques used in radical cystectomy today. Mayo Clinic was a leading institution in developing robotic surgical techniques and popularizing neobladder reconstruction.

Advanced technology

Mayo Clinic doctors have access to the latest surgical equipment and training in the latest techniques, such as robotic surgery, that are designed to speed your recovery and improve your quality of life. Robotic surgery allows the surgeon to see the procedure in greater detail and allows the surgeon to work in tight spaces where human hands don't fit.

Research

Mayo Clinic doctors continually perform research on new treatments to try before cystectomy, during cystectomy and after cystectomy, if further treatment is needed. Mayo Clinic basic science researchers also developed immunotherapy for recurrent or metastatic bladder cancer.

Mayo Clinic doctors maintain the country's largest cystectomy registry, which follows patients who have had cystectomy surgery performed at Mayo Clinic. The records and specimens kept are reviewed for symptoms that could have predicted complications or cancer recurrence. Registry information can also help answer questions about the need for follow-up after surgery. Ask your surgeon if you may contribute to the future of medicine through one of these research opportunities.

Ongoing urology research gives the doctors at Mayo Clinic the knowledge and experience needed to quickly recognize and successfully treat complications from the surgery, to provide the best possible outcomes.

Comprehensive cancer center

Mayo Clinic Cancer Center meets strict standards for a National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center, which recognizes scientific excellence and a multidisciplinary approach to cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for cancer by U.S. News & World Report.

Expertise and rankings

Cystectomy and the reconstruction that follows are complex procedures that require highly skilled and extensively trained surgeons. Mayo Clinic urologic surgeons are experts at recognizing and treating potential complications after cystectomy. Surgeon experience is an important factor in recovery after surgery.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for urology by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic Children's Center 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 2023-2024 "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for cancer by U.S. News & World Report.

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.