Mayo Clinic

About the Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic has three campuses, each of which has a specialist who focuses on the treatment of Mesothelioma. These campuses are located in Jacksonville, FL, Scottsdale, AZ, and Rochester, MN. All three campuses are considered excellent facilities.

Center Location & Overview

Ranked #1 overall hospital in the United States by U.S. Health News & World Report
Accredited with NCI’s prestigious “Comprehensive Cancer Care” designation
3 campuses with hospitals located in Florida, Arizona, and Minnesota
Humanities in Medicine programs offers several types of art therapy for mesothelioma patients

Patient Experience at Mayo Clinic

Patients who choose the Mayo Clinic can expect the standard of care one would expect from a world-class medical facility. The Cancer Center at Mayo is one of the most advanced of its kind, and effectively combined clinical work, education, and research. The result of this three-pronged approach to cancer care is an innovative and cutting-edge approach to medicine.

The Mayo Clinic is a non-profit organization and doesn’t require referrals to see patients. People who are interested in becoming a patient at Mayo can simply request an appointment online.

Mayo Clinic is among the modern hospitals to adopt an online patient portal, allowing mesothelioma patients to review records and test results, request appointments, refill prescriptions and pay outstanding invoices from anywhere with an internet connection.

Mayo Clinic Center for Humanities in Medicine offers additional artistic therapies for patient wellness, following the belief that patient needs always come first. Humanities in Medicine’s programs include music performances, art exhibits, live theatre, dance performances, workshops, and lectures. One of these activities occurs at least once a week. Humanities in Medicine also has a bedside art program to help nurture the emotional and spiritual growth of all of Mayo’s patients.

Mesothelioma Program at Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic doesn’t have a formally designated mesothelioma program, but there are several oncologists on staff who have extensive experience treating pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma. These extraordinary oncologists can be found at all three Mayo Clinic campuses.

Mesothelioma Doctors at Mayo Clinic

Dr. Yanyan Lou
Dr. Aaron S. Mansfield
Dr. Helen Ross
Dr. Tobias Peikert
Dr. Mark Allen

Mesothelioma Treatment Options at Mayo Clinic

Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP): EPP was the primary surgical treatment for mesothelioma for many years, because of its ability to improve patient quality and length of life. EPP involves removing the infected lung, as well as the diaphragm and parts of the heart and chest lining.
Pleurectomy/Decortication (P/D): When performing a P/D, the surgical oncologist will remove the lining of the lung, but leave the lung in-tact. This surgery is more complicated than EPP but is considered the better alternative, when feasible, by many current mesothelioma experts.
Peritonectomy: Similar to pleurectomy, peritonectomy involves removing the tissue that lines a patient’s abdominal cavity. This procedure is often performed as a temporary measure to improve a patient’s symptoms and quality of life.
Pleurodesis: Surgeons at the Mayo Clinic will sometimes perform a pleurodesis to help prevent pleural effusion, a condition where fluid builds up between the lung’s external layers.
Debulking: In cases when entire tumors can’t be removed, debulking may be used to remove as much of the cancer as possible. Debulking can often make radiation therapy more effective.
Chemotherapy: The Mayo Clinic may use chemotherapy before a surgical procedure, to help improve the success of surgery, or afterward, to help prevent the mesothelioma from returning. Chemotherapy can be received orally, intravenously, or as a surgical procedure (HIPEC.)
HIPEC: Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), or heated chemotherapy, is a specialized form of chemotherapy that has been highly effective in treating peritoneal mesothelioma for some patients. HIPEC is a surgical procedure in which a patient’s organs are bathed in a warm chemotherapy solution, allowing chemotherapy drugs to directly reach the abdominal cavity and target mesothelioma cells that are too small to see.
Radiation: Radiation uses high-energy beams to directly target a tumor and often complements other mesothelioma treatment options. Radiation can be used to relieve pain, shrink tumors, and eliminate fluid buildup. The Mayo Clinic will use radiation therapy for mesothelioma as a post-surgical procedure to help kill any lingering cancer cells, or in scenarios where surgery isn’t an option.
Proton Therapy: Mayo’s radiation oncologists can directly target mesothelioma with protons as an alternative option to traditional radiation that uses photons. Proton therapy is becoming a popular treatment option because it allows for stronger targeted radiation without much impact to the nearby, non-cancerous tissues.

Clinical Trials, Studies & Research at Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic helps administer a number of clinical trials for mesothelioma, giving patients access to brand new therapy options that aren’t yet available to the public. The clinic trials for mesothelioma fall into one of three categories: targeted therapy, biological therapy, or gene therapy.

Targeted Therapy: Sometimes referred to as “treatment trials”, targeted therapy uses drugs to attack mesothelioma cells and other anomalies within the body.
Biological Therapy: This form of therapy boosts a patient’s immune system and helps their body fight invasive cells, like mesothelioma and other cancers. Biological therapy is commonly referred to as “immunology.”
Gene Therapy: One of the newest forms of treatment, gene therapy alters the genes of mesothelioma cells in an attempt to destroy the disease. Gene therapy for mesothelioma often involves pathway disruption, which impacts cells’ ability to grow and multiply.
Surgical Trials: In these trials, Mayo Clinic’s surgical oncologists attempt to improve available surgical options for mesothelioma patients.

Insurance Information at Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic accepts the majority of insurance plans and continues to add coverage options on an ongoing basis.

For the most recent information on insurance coverage, contact Mayo Clinic directly using the following numbers:

Arizona Campus: 480-301-7033, or 1-800-603-0558 (toll-free)
Florida Campus: 904-953-2272, 904-953-7058, or 1-800-660-4190 (toll-free)
Minnesota Campus: 507-266-5670, or 1-800-660-4582 (toll-free)

The major insurance companies often accepted by the Mayo Clinic include:

Aetna
Allied Benefit Systems, Inc.
AmeriBen Solutions
America’s PPO
Assurant Health
Beech Street
Benefit Systems and Services, Inc
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Cigna
Coventry
Federated Insurance Company
First Health Network
Galaxy Health Network
Health Alliance Medical Plans
HealthEZ
Humana
Insurance Management Administrators
International Managed Care Services of Puerto Rico
Mayo Clinic Health Solutions
Meritain Health
MultiPlan
National General Benefit Solutions
Pekin
Preferred One
Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
UnitedHealthcare
United Security Life and Health
USA Managed Care Organization
Zenith America Solutions

Please note that this list is not extensive. If you do not see your insurance provider, please call your nearest campus above for additional info on local plans, international plans, and recently added plans.

Mission Statement & Values at Mayo Clinic

The Cancer Center at Mayo Clinic takes a personal approach to treatment, combining multidisciplinary care with state-of-the-art research. Because numerous specialists participate in the diagnosis and treatment of every individual, patients can rest assured that they have received several “second opinions” from highly qualified professionals.

The Mayo Clinic’s primary value is that the needs of the patient come first. In addition, the Mayo Clinic believes in several core values, which were created by the center’s founders. These values include: respect, integrity, compassion, healing, teamwork, innovation, excellence, and stewardship. It is Mayo Clinic’s goal to provide the best possible care to each patient, which is done through clinical work, education, and research.

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