Arizona - August 2012 Archives

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — August 23, 2012.  Mayo Clinic in Arizona has been designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology. By awarding facilities the status of a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence, the ACR recognizes breast imaging centers that have earned accreditation in mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, and breast ultrasound (including ultrasound-guided breast biopsy). Mayo Clinic in Arizona provides comprehensive diagnostic breast imaging services including: Screening and Diagnostic Mammograms Breast Ultrasounds MRI of the Breast Stereotactic Breast Biopsies Ultrasound Breast Biopsies MRI Breast Biopsies Seed Localizations Peer-review evaluations, conducted in each breast imaging modality by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field, have determined that Mayo Clinic in Arizona has achieved high practice standards in image quality, personnel qualifications, facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — August 22, 2012.  One of the most unpleasant aspects of colorectal cancer screening for many patients is the amount of laxative they must drink the night before. Some become so anxious about drinking so much liquid that they avoid the entire procedure, putting them at risk of undiagnosed cancer. Under a new practice at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, four pills replace the multiple liters of laxative for people having a CT colonography also known as a virtual colonoscopy. Colonoscopies, in which a tiny camera is inserted into the body to examine the bowels, and virtual colonoscopies, in which a CT scan is used to provide three-dimensional imaging of the colon and rectum, are commonly performed for early detection of colon cancer in people over 50. Both colon exams require the use of a laxative to empty the colon. In the new Mayo protocol that began this summer, patients having virtual colonoscopies simply take four tablets of the cleansing agent bisacodyl. "Our hope is that this will make people less anxious and more likely to get screened and will ultimately result in fewer deaths from colorectal cancer," says C. Daniel Johnson, M.D., chair of the Department of Radiology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Click here for a video of Dr. Johnson talking about the new protocol. The development of the new protocol was based on a study co-by Dr. Johnson and published in Abdominal Imaging journal last year. The study found that the new four-tablet procedure worked as well as the standard liquid laxative for virtual colonoscopies. The new protocol is not intended for standard colonoscopies because the cleansing requirements between the two procedures differ. Virtual colonoscopy was found to be highly accurate for detection of intermediate (6-9 millimeters) and large (greater than 1 centimeter) polyps. Because the majority of patients will not have a polyp, no further workup is necessary. Only the 12 percent of patients identified with a polyp during a colonography would then need to have a colonoscopy. Because most colon cancer arises from preexisting polyps, detection and removal of these lesions can help eradicate it. Dr. Johnson says that how people get screened should be an individual decision, based on discussions with their medical providers. Virtual colonoscopies may be considered for patients who: Have had a difficult time with previous colonoscopy procedures Are on anti-coagulant drugs Have a colon obstruction Prefer not to have a standard colonoscopy.

PHOENIX, Arizona — August 20, 2012.  Mayo Clinic has been granted approval for construction of a 217,200 square-foot building on its Phoenix campus, a major expansion that will create a single-site, integrated Cancer Center. Mayo Clinic Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center with a multi-site, national presence, which allows us to serve a broad and diverse group of patients. The $130 million facility features three additional floors of clinical and office space that will be built above the first level of Mayo Clinic's Proton Beam Therapy Building currently under construction. Proton beam therapy is a precise form of cancer treatment that allows greater control over radiation doses, using pencil-beam scanning. Project design and programming for the new building is expected to take three years, with staged occupancy expected in 2015. The project signals a significant milestone for Mayo Clinic in Arizona in that it creates a consolidated and integrated Cancer Center on one campus, providing enhanced convenience for cancer patients and their families. Pivotal to that consolidation will be the relocation of the Hematology/Oncology Department from its current location on the Scottsdale campus to the new building on the Phoenix campus. Other cancer-related units such as Bone Marrow Transplant, Chemotherapy Infusion and Research will also transfer to the new building. Consolidation to one campus will also include relocation of 32 chemotherapy infusion stations currently located on the Scottsdale campus to the new cancer facility, as well as the planned addition of 18 more infusion stations. The vertical expansion project will also include three outpatient operating rooms, expanded space for Transplant and relocation of some clinical units from the adjacent Mayo Clinic Hospital to create 12 more inpatient hospital beds. Future plans include moving other units from the hospital to create space for 24 additional hospital beds. Exam rooms in the new cancer building will feature a new design concept intended to accommodate the integrated team care concept for the evaluation and treatment of patients. Also planned for the convenience of patients are kiosks that will allow virtual check-in and access to timely information.