5-year, multisite Mayo Clinic study finds high diagnostic accuracy, low complication rates — and a shift toward earlier-stage detection

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As lung cancer screening identifies an estimated 1.6 million suspicious lung nodules each year in the U.S. alone, physicians face a challenge. Most peripheral pulmonary lesions are benign, yet the malignant minority represent the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women.

A five-year, multisite study from Mayo Clinic suggests robotic-assisted bronchoscopy may provide a less invasive and more precise approach to diagnosing lung cancer.

The study evaluated 2,115 lung lesions in 1,904 patients across Mayo Clinic campuses in Jacksonville; Phoenix; and Rochester, Minnesota, between 2019 and 2024. Researchers reported 85% sensitivity for malignancy and 76.9% accuracy, or a strict diagnostic yield, under newly standardized national criteria. They also reported a complication rate of 2.8%.

Since adoption of robotic bronchoscopy, the proportion of lung cancers diagnosed at an early stage at Mayo Clinic increased from 46% in 2019 to nearly 69% by mid-2024. While lung cancer was caught earlier, diagnoses at advanced stages decreased from 54% to 31% in 2024.
 
"Lung cancer survival depends heavily on early detection," says Sebastian Fernandez-Bussy, M.D., the James C. and Sarah K. Kennedy Dean of Research at Mayo Clinic in Florida and the lead author of this Mayo Clinic Proceedings study. "Technologies that allow us to diagnose and even treat disease earlier — and with fewer complications — can help improve survival."

Journalists: Broadcast-quality soundbites with Dr. Fernandez-Bussy along with b-roll of a robotic-assisted bronchoscopy are available in the downloads at the end of the post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network.”

A complex diagnostic decision

Lung cancer generally starts with a suspicious pulmonary nodule. When that is detected through screenings, a lung biopsy may be required to confirm the diagnosis.

Shape-sensing robotic-assisted bronchoscopy, cleared by the Food and Drug Administration in 2019, allows physicians to perform as many biopsies needed to be able to gather enough tissue for diagnosis and molecular markers that will further guide an individualized treatment approach. This technology provides physicians the precision and stability to sample multiple suspicious nodules throughout both lungs. By adding endobronchial ultrasound, physicians also can perform precise staging for the immune system glands, or mediastinal lymph nodes, all in one procedure.

When combined with real-time 3D imaging or cone beam CT scans, the system also helps physicians confirm the precise placement of the small tool within lesions before biopsy.
 
"This technology really has been a game-changer for diagnosing lung cancer earlier," says Dr. Fernandez-Bussy.

In this study, the researchers reported that 56% of lesions sampled were malignant. Twenty-one percent were definitively benign, and 23% were nondiagnostic under strict criteria.

The study applied updated strict diagnostic yield definitions from the American Thoracic Society and American College of Chest Physicians, which exclude certain follow-up data that previously reported higher success rates.

Looking ahead

Robotic-assisted bronchoscopy platforms are increasingly being paired with endobronchial therapies, including pulsed electric field ablation, a minimally invasive treatment for patients who are not eligible for surgery or radiation. Mayo Clinic has begun to offer diagnosis, staging and treatment during a single procedure.
 
"I call this the 'single anesthetic lung surgery pathway,' and it means fewer trips to the hospital, less time away from family and shorter recovery times," says coauthor Janani Reisenauer, M.D., chair of thoracic surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who has been involved in clinical trials that deliver cancer treatment within minutes of diagnosis.

Five-year survival for localized lung cancer approaches 67%, compared with approximately 12% for metastatic disease. National guidelines recommend timely evaluation and treatment after diagnosis. As lung cancer screening expands and more nodules are detected, demand for precise, minimally invasive diagnostic approaches is expected to grow.
 
This study illustrates the impact of research with patient-contributed biospecimens, and their associated data, in driving discoveries and advancing cures. Mayo Clinic's Bioresource initiative is now accelerating the pace of such discoveries by expanding researcher access to valuable biospecimens.

Review the study for a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding.
 
Additional Link: Dr. Bussy's work reduces need for transplant in advanced lung disease patients - Mayo Clinic

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Julie Ferris-Tillman, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post (VIDEO) Robotic-assisted bronchoscopy study of more than 2,000 lung lesions suggests safer, faster path to diagnosing lung cancer appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic research identified a powerful new way to improve the prediction of a patient's long-term cardiovascular disease risk by enhancing a routinely performed imaging test with artificial intelligence (AI). Heart disease develops over time and remains the leading cause of death worldwide, so identifying risk early is critical to preventing heart attack, stroke and other serious outcomes.

The study highlights the growing role of AI in helping experts uncover new insights from existing medical data. Findings were presented at the 2026 American College of Cardiology Scientific Session with simultaneous publication in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

The study followed nearly 12,000 adults for approximately 16 years. Investigators applied AI to participants' standard coronary artery calcium scans to measure fat surrounding the heart. They compared the predictive value of this measurement with and in combination with two standard risk assessment approaches: the American Heart Association PREVENT equation, which incorporates traditional factors such as age, sex, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and other variables, and the coronary artery calcium score, which measures calcified plaque in coronary arteries.

The findings show that the volume of heart fat could be used independently to predict cardiovascular events. It significantly improved the overall accuracy of long-term risk prediction when combined with the coronary artery calcium score and the PREVENT equation, especially among patients in low-risk categories.

"Pericardial fat has been recognized as a marker of cardiovascular risk, but this study shows how we can now measure it automatically and use it to meaningfully improve risk prediction, especially in patients at borderline or intermediate risk where clinical decisions are often less clear," says Zahra Esmaeili, first author and researcher in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Mayo Clinic. "This opens the door to more personalized prevention strategies."

Key findings:

• Nearly 10% of participants developed cardiovascular disease during follow-up.
• Higher fat volume around the heart was independently associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events, even after accounting for traditional risk factors and coronary calcium scores.
• Participants with the highest coronary fat volume had elevated risk across all coronary calcium levels.
• Adding coronary fat measurements improved the accuracy of predicting cardiovascular events beyond established models.

Coronary artery calcium scoring is widely used to assess cardiovascular risk. This study shows that additional information can be extracted from the same scan without extra testing or cost.

"Because this measurement comes from imaging that many patients are already receiving, it represents a practical and scalable way to enhance cardiovascular risk assessment," says senior author Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., a preventive cardiologist and co-director of the AI in Cardiology program at Mayo Clinic. "It could help clinicians intervene earlier and more effectively."

Researchers note that further studies will help determine how best to incorporate coronary fat measurement into routine clinical care and whether it can guide treatment decisions.

The manuscript, Deep Learning–Derived Pericardial Adipose Tissue by ECG-Gated Computed Tomography Predicts Cardiovascular Events Beyond Coronary Calcium, and a complete list of authors is published in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Terri Malloy, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Including AI-derived heart fat measurement improves accuracy of cardiovascular disease risk prediction appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic announces a gift of $75 million from the Thomas and Elizabeth Grainger family to support Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester, Mayo Clinic's $5 billion investment in its Rochester campus to transform healthcare through integrated digital and physical spaces. 

In recognition of this generous gift, Mayo Clinic will name the Grainger Building, a state-of-the-art logistics facility that will seamlessly deliver essential resources to care teams in the new clinical buildings planned as part of Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester. Scheduled to open in 2028, the Grainger Building will serve as a nucleus of supply and automation orchestration for these new clinical spaces, helping to advance patient care, ensure discovery and healing continue uninterrupted, and support new innovations and cures. 

The Graingers' transformative support builds upon the family's long-standing relationship with Mayo Clinic, which spans four generations of personal care experiences and generous philanthropic partnership. 

"We feel privileged and proud to team with an organization that not only has comprehensively delivered the best healthcare on the planet for more than 160 years but is now positioned better than ever to do more of what they do, even faster and even better," Thomas Grainger says. 

Through integrated digital and physical technologies, the Grainger Building will support a new model for continuous, patient-centered care at Mayo Clinic. It will use intelligent storage systems and AI-driven forecasting to automatically restock supplies at Mayo Clinic in Rochester's new downtown campus, maximizing space for patient care and staff amenities. Autonomous mobile robots from the Grainger Building will also service the new clinical buildings via a 900-foot underground tunnel. With these and other novel technologies, Mayo Clinic's new facilities will become members of the care team by streamlining tasks and freeing staff to focus their expertise on caring for their patients. 

"The Graingers have been extraordinary partners in shaping the future of healthcare," says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., Mayo Clinic's president and CEO. "This innovative logistics facility is foundational to our Bold. Forward. strategy and establishes a new global standard in healthcare logistics that will redefine how care is delivered." 

The Grainger family's past philanthropic support for Mayo Clinic has accelerated innovations in precision psychiatry, bipolar disorder research, the Center for Digital Health, and urology research and education. Mayo Clinic recognizes the Thomas and Elizabeth Grainger family as a Philanthropic Partner, its highest level of distinction for benefactors. 

Thomas' grandfather, William Grainger, founded the industrial supply company W.W. Grainger, Inc. in 1927. His father, David, served the company as CEO and as a director for more than 50 years. David Grainger and his wife, Juli, are also recognized by Mayo Clinic as Philanthropic Partners through the Grainger Foundation. 

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Kristy Jacobson, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Mayo Clinic receives $75 million gift from Grainger family to transform healthcare logistics appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

COPD is a long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe after airways become inflamed and narrowed and mucus builds up. COPD can also make sleeping more difficult, affecting a patient's energy levels and overall health. These factors can influence participation in pulmonary rehabilitation, which includes a combination of exercise, education and support.

Researchers set out to understand whether a patient's sleep quality could help predict their level of participation in remote rehabilitation activities.

"As a scientist and engineer, I wanted to explore how wearable data could improve the drop-out rates of remote pulmonary rehabilitation programs. By better understanding a patient's day-to-day life, we can make more personalized and potentially more effective care plan recommendations," says Stephanie Zawada, Ph.D., M.S., a Mayo Clinic research associate and first author of the study. Dr. Zawada is committed to finding ways to use data to personalize care through her work on the team at the Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery.

In the study, researchers found that using baseline sleep data from a wrist activity monitor, combined with machine learning and traditional clinical indicators, improved the prediction of how consistently patients would participate in a 12-week home pulmonary rehabilitation program.

The team analyzed already collected sleep measures, as part of a large study aimed to test a home-based program of pulmonary rehabilitation led by Roberto Benzo, M.D., M.S., and the Mindful Breathing Laboratory. Investigators generated a Composite Sleep Health Score before the home-based pulmonary rehabilitation began. At the end of the 12-week program, analysis showed that including the health score improved prediction of patient engagement over the study period.

This information can help clinicians better tailor rehabilitation programs and identify patients who may benefit from additional support. It also may inform the design of future remote-care programs.

"Adding wearable data provides a more comprehensive view of a patient's daily pattern," says Emma Fortune Ngufor, Ph.D., senior author of the study and a Mayo Clinic researcher in the Kern Center. She noted that sleep data is one of several inputs that can help inform care decisions, alongside clinical assessments and patient-reported information.

Researchers note that additional investigation is needed to validate and refine the model in broader patient populations before broader clinical application.

For a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding, review the study.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Terri Malloy, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Mayo Clinic study finds wearable data may help predict patient engagement in remote COPD rehabilitation appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

The findings offer new insight into how the immune system and gut microbiome interact in this chronic condition and point to potential new therapeutic strategies.

IBD, which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, affects millions of people worldwide. The condition is driven in part by the immune system reacting to normally harmless bacteria in the gut, reflecting a breakdown in what is known as immune tolerance. Symptoms of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease usually include belly pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, extreme tiredness and weight loss.

While many current therapies focus on reducing inflammation, less is understood about how to restore balanced interactions between the immune system and the gut microbiome.

"This study suggests vitamin D may help rebalance how the immune system sees gut bacteria," says lead author John Mark Gubatan, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic in Florida. "That's an important step toward understanding how we might restore immune tolerance in IBD."

In the study, researchers evaluated 48 people with IBD who had low vitamin D levels. Participants received weekly vitamin D supplements for 12 weeks. Blood and stool samples collected before and after treatment were analyzed using advanced sequencing to map interactions between immune responses and the gut microbiome.

Vitamin D supplementation was associated with increased levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA), which is typically linked to protective immune responses, and decreased levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG), more often associated with inflammation. The researchers also observed changes in immune signaling pathways and increased activity of regulatory immune cells that help control inflammation.

Together, these findings suggest vitamin D may help promote a more balanced, protective immune response to the gut microbiome.

Vitamin D supplementation was also associated with improvements in disease activity scores and a stool-based marker of inflammation. However, the researchers emphasize the study was small and not designed to establish cause and effect.

"We saw encouraging signals, but this was not a randomized trial," Dr. Gubatan says. "These findings need to be confirmed in larger, controlled studies."

The researchers caution that patients should not change their vitamin D use without medical guidance.

“Vitamin D is widely available, but dosing needs to be individualized, especially in patients with chronic inflammation,” Dr. Gubatan adds. “Patients should work with their healthcare team.”

This work was supported by a grant from Doris Duke Physician Scientist Fellowship Award (Grant #2021091), Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Physician Scientist Scholar Award, and National Institutes of Health (NIH) NIDDK LRP Award (2L30 DK126220). For a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding, see the study.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Sharon Theimer, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Vitamin D linked to immune response to gut microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Colon cancer is the third most prevalent form of cancer in the U.S., and its incidence is increasing among younger adults, particularly those younger than 50. While colon cancer screening has helped prevent and detect it before spreading, major advancements in treating colon cancer have been limited.

Now, new research led by Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center found that adding immunotherapy to chemotherapy after surgery for patients with stage 3 (node-positive) colon cancer — and with a specific genetic makeup called deficient DNA mismatch repair (dMMR) — was associated with a 50% reduction in cancer recurrence and mortality compared to chemotherapy alone. Approximately 15% of people diagnosed with colon cancer exhibit dMMR, and, to date, these tumors have shown reduced sensitivity to chemotherapy. The results of the multicenter study were presented during a plenary session at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.

"The findings from our study represent a major advance in the adjuvant treatment of dMMR stage 3 colon cancer and will now change clinical practice," says Frank Sinicrope, M.D., a Mayo Clinic oncologist who led the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. "It's very rewarding to be able to offer our patients a new treatment regimen that can reduce the risk of recurrence and improve their chances of survival."

Until now, the standard treatment after surgery for any stage 3 colon cancer has been chemotherapy. However, the researchers note that approximately 30% of patients with stage 3 tumors experience cancer recurrence despite this treatment.

Watch: Dr. Frank Sinicrope discusses Mayo Clinic immunotherapy study

Journalists: Broadcast-quality sound bites with Dr. Frank Sinicrope are in the downloads at the end of the post. Please "Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network."

The clinical trial enrolled 712 patients with dMMR stage 3 colon cancer that had been surgically removed and who had cancer cells in their lymph nodes. The immunotherapy given in this study was an immune checkpoint inhibitor, known as atezolizumab, which reactivates a person's anti-tumor immunity to enable the killing of cancer cells, which are responsible for cancer recurrence and spread. The patients — who lived in the U.S. and Germany — were randomized to receive chemotherapy for six months along with immunotherapy, with the immunotherapy continued alone for another six months versus the other study arm being chemotherapy alone.

Dr. Sinicrope and others previously studied patients with the type of colon cancer evaluated in the clinical trial, in which tumor cells cannot properly repair errors that occur when DNA is copied, due to dMMR. They noted that these patients' tumors showed a striking increase in inflammatory cells, including immune cells that are targets of immune checkpoint inhibitors. These findings provided the rationale for using immune checkpoint inhibitors as a strategy to enable immune cells to be more effective in attacking and killing cancer cells.  

Based on the data from the clinical trial, the combination of atezolizumab and chemotherapy represents a new standard treatment for stage 3 deficient mismatch repair colon cancer. The guidelines developed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a nonprofit organization consisting of 33 leading cancer centers, including Mayo Clinic, have been updated to include this treatment recommendation. The guidelines also include patients with high-risk stage 2 colon cancer where the tumor invades or adheres to adjacent structures but does not involve lymph nodes. 

The study included patients with Lynch syndrome, the most common form of hereditary colon cancer, as these patients have tumors that show dMMR and are typically diagnosed at a younger age.

"We're changing the paradigm in colon cancer treatment. By using immunotherapy at earlier stages of disease, we are achieving meaningful benefits for our patients," says Dr. Sinicrope.

This study was developed by Dr. Sinicrope and conducted within the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, a National Cancer Institute-supported National Clinical Trials Network whose membership includes Mayo Clinic.

Review the study for a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

About Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center 
Designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center is defining the cancer center of the future, focused on delivering the world's most exceptional patient-centered cancer care for everyone. At Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, a culture of innovation and collaboration is driving research breakthroughs in cancer detection, prevention and treatment to change lives.

Media contact:

• Julie Ferris-Tillman, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Immunotherapy boosts chemotherapy in combating stage 3 colon cancer appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — For 100 years, Mayo Clinic Proceedings has helped shape the course of modern medicine — publishing discoveries that move from the page to the bedside and improve care for patients around the world. As the journal approaches its centennial in April 2026, Mayo Clinic is marking the milestone with events, exhibitions and special publications celebrating a century of scientific rigor, collaboration and impact.

Rooted in the same spirit that drives Bold. Forward., Mayo Clinic's strategy to transform healthcare, Mayo Clinic Proceedings continues to connect discovery to delivery — advancing the science and practice of medicine, helping ensure that knowledge translates into better outcomes for patients everywhere.

First published in April 1926 as the Bulletin of the Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Mayo Clinic Proceedingsis a leading journal of general and internal medicine that reaches millions of readers worldwide, with more than 7 million article downloads in 2025 and a journal Impact Factor of 6.7. It ranks among the top 10% of general and internal medicine journals internationally.

Since January 2025, the journal has been highlighting, in special articles and historical content, its 100-year commitment to research that has transformed medical science and practice. On April 25, a centennial reception will be held on the Rochester campus.

"Mayo Clinic Proceedingsbegan as an internal publication, but its spirit and intent always were expansive," says Karl Nath, M.B., Ch.B., M.D., Mayo Clinic Proceedings editor-in-chief. "It was meant to share knowledge, to educate and to improve care — values that continue to guide it a century later. As we enter our second century, we remain committed to publishing content that informs, inspires and advances healthcare."

Evolved from a newsletter to an internationally renowned journal

Mayo Clinic Proceedings had its start in the early years of Mayo Clinic's transformation from a family medical practice into an internationally renowned clinic. During weekly staff meetings in the 1920s, the Mayo brothers, William A. Mayo, M.D., and Charles W. Mayo, M.D., sat in the front row as colleagues presented cases and discussed new approaches to patient care. To share this knowledge more broadly, they enlisted Maude Mellish Wilson, the clinic's first institutional librarian, to summarize the meetings. Wilson's newsletter quickly evolved into Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Throughout its history, Mayo Clinic Proceedings has captured landmark moments in medicine, from the introduction of insulin therapy in the 1920s to pioneering research on cortisone by Mayo Clinic researchers who later received the Nobel Prize. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, the journal has published more than 500 related studies, including early findings on infection risks among healthcare personnel and post-COVID-19 syndromes.

The journal, which has featured cutting-edge work on artificial intelligence in cardiology, digital health innovation and physician well-being, has two open-access expansion journals: Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes and Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Digital Health. Both have been accepted by Clarivate for Impact Factor ratings, a marker of influence and quality in academic publishing.

Podcasts, exhibitions and a commemorative edition

There are several events and publications planned to celebrate the centennial, including:

• A virtual historical exhibit curated by Mayo Clinic Archives is available online. Archival exhibitions are on display currently in the staff library and the Paonessa Library at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona, and in the main library at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Florida.
• Mayo Clinic Proceedings editions from 1926 to 1983 have been digitized and are now available in the online archive.
• A commemorative edition, available in print and as an e-book, is in production.
• The journal will be featured on Mayo Clinic Talks, the podcast series presented by Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development.
• Interviews with Dr. Nath and S. Vincent Rajkumar, M.D., a Mayo Clinic hematologist and Mayo Clinic Proceedings editorial board member, are featured on Tomorrow's Cure, a Mayo Clinic podcast on YouTube.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Jay Furst, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post A century of discovery: Mayo Clinic Proceedings marks 100 years of advancing medical research, education and practice appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

FOSHAN, China, and ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic and Heyou International Health System jointly announced that Heyou Hospital and Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center have joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network. This formal relationship marks an important step in Heyou International Health System's mission to provide high-quality, evidence-based medical care to communities across the Guangdong province and Greater Bay Area in southern China.

Created in 2011, the Mayo Clinic Care Network includes carefully selected independent organizations worldwide that are committed to working together to improve the quality and value of healthcare to improve patients' lives globally. Members retain their independence while benefiting from Mayo Clinic's decades of experience and best practices.

Heyou International Health System is an integrated healthcare and medical services group that includes Heyou Hospital and Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center. They are the first members in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area to join the Mayo Clinic Care Network. Heyou Hospital is a nonprofit general hospital that provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care. Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center offers personalized medical services to meet different patient needs.

"We are honored to welcome Heyou Hospital and Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center to the Mayo Clinic Care Network," says Jorge Pascual, M.D., medical director of Strategic Relationships at Mayo Clinic. "Their focus on patient-centered care aligns closely with our values. We look forward to working together to expand access to high-quality care and deliver meaningful outcomes for patients across the Guangdong province and Greater Bay Area in southern China."

As Mayo Clinic Care Network members, Heyou Hospital and Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center gain access to Mayo Clinic's extensive clinical knowledge and expertise to enhance patient care.

"Joining the Mayo Clinic Care Network reflects our shared commitment to putting patients first," says Jiade J. Lu, M.D., executive vice president of Heyou International Health System, chair of the Heyou Comprehensive Cancer Center, and director of its Proton and Heavy Ion Center. "Through the Mayo Clinic Care Network, our physicians can access the knowledge and experience of the world's leading medical institutions to better serve our patients."

Through the Mayo Clinic Care Network, healthcare professionals at Heyou Hospital and Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center will have access to tools and services, including: 

• AskMayoExpert: This point-of-care tool offers concise clinical information on hundreds of medical conditions and includes medical protocols, treatment recommendations, and medical references. This database can be used wherever and whenever healthcare is provided.
• Health Care Consulting: Access to Mayo's extensive experience, knowledge and subspecialty expertise to achieve clinical, educational, operational and business goals.
• eConsults: Connections to Mayo Clinic specialists for second opinions on specific patient cases.
• eBoards: These live, scheduled video conferences enable medical teams at member hospitals to review and discuss complex cases with a Mayo Clinic multidisciplinary panel and other doctors in the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

Heyou Hospital and Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center, and other members of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, remain independent. The Mayo Clinic Care Network has more than 45 member organizations across the U.S. and in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

About Heyou Hospital
Located in Shunde, Foshan, in the heart of China's Greater Bay Area, Heyou Hospital is a nonprofit tertiary hospital founded on the philanthropic vision of Mr. He Xiangjian, founder of Midea Group. Guided by a mission of healthcare driven by purpose rather than profit, the hospital reinvests operating surpluses to improve patient care, advance medical research and support community health. The modern campus integrates clinical care, research, education, prevention and rehabilitation, with more than 50 clinical departments and specialty centers providing comprehensive services. A proton and heavy ion therapy system, expected to begin operation in 2027, will further expand advanced cancer treatment capabilities.

About Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center
Located in Shunde, Foshan, Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center is a Sino–Hong Kong joint-venture hospital designed to provide personalized, high-quality medical services in a private and comfortable setting. Working alongside Heyou Hospital, the center serves patients across the Greater Bay Area as well as international patients seeking premium medical care and comprehensive health management. Distinguished physicians across more than 40 specialties provide multidisciplinary care supported by advanced imaging and diagnostic technology. Thoughtfully designed with modern architecture and Lingnan cultural elements, the facility offers a calm and private healing environment for patients and families.

Media contacts:

• Caroline Auger, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu
• Amy Le, Heyou International Health System, leyi1@hyhospital.com

The post Heyou Hospital and Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center join Mayo Clinic Care Network appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In a study published in NEJM Catalyst, Mayo Clinic researchers have demonstrated that chemotherapy can be safely delivered in patients' homes.

The study evaluated Mayo Clinic's Cancer CARE Beyond Walls (Connected Access and Remote Expertise), a model that combines virtual care, remote patient monitoring and in-home clinical services to deliver cancer treatment outside traditional infusion centers.

In the pilot study, a multidisciplinary team delivered 93 IV chemotherapy infusions to 10 patients in their homes. Researchers reported no treatment-related infusion reactions or catheter-related infections, supporting the safety and feasibility of this approach.

"Cancer care has traditionally required patients to spend long hours in infusion centers, often far from home," says Roxana Dronca, M.D., site director of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Florida and director of Mayo Clinic Cancer CARE Beyond Walls. "This model allows us to safely bring high-quality care directly to patients, reducing burden while maintaining the standards patients expect from Mayo Clinic."

The study highlights the potential of home-based chemotherapy to reduce the physical, emotional and financial burdens associated with cancer treatment. Patients avoided travel time and experienced fewer disruptions to daily life while maintaining a continuous connection with their care team through virtual visits and remote monitoring.

Most participants surveyed reported high satisfaction with at-home care and said they would recommend the model to others.

"This approach is about more than convenience," Dr. Dronca says. "It's about improving quality of life during treatment and expanding access to care for patients who may face barriers to reaching traditional cancer centers."

To build on these findings, Mayo Clinic is still enrolling patients in a randomized clinical trial that launched in August 2023 to evaluate home-based chemotherapy compared with standard infusion care. This study will examine safety, patient experience, outcomes and costs, with the goal of expanding access to high-quality cancer care and reducing barriers to clinical trial participation.

Dr. Dronca is the first author of the pilot study, and Cheryl Willman, M.D., the Stephen and Barbara Slaggie Executive Director, Mayo Clinic Cancer Programs, is the senior author. For a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding, review the study.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

About Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center
Designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center is defining the cancer center of the future, focused on delivering the world's most exceptional patient-centered cancer care for everyone. At Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, a culture of innovation and collaboration is driving research breakthroughs in cancer detection, prevention and treatment to change lives.

Media contact:

• Julie Ferris-Tillman, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Mayo Clinic study demonstrates safety, feasibility of delivering chemotherapy at home appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

ROCHESTER, Minn. — When someone is diagnosed with colorectal cancer — which includes both colon and rectal cancers — many people immediately think "surgery." And it’s true that surgery plays a central role in treatment for most patients. But whether it comes first, and what it entails, depends on several factors, especially where the cancer is located, how far it has grown into surrounding tissues, and whether it has spread, explains Eric Dozois, M.D., chair of colon and rectal surgery at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

"For colon cancer, surgery is typically the first and main step when the disease hasn't spread to distant organs. The goal is to remove the cancerous part of the colon along with nearby lymph nodes, which are the first places cancer spreads," Dr. Dozois says. "After surgery, the removed tissue is examined under a microscope to confirm the stage of the disease and decide whether additional treatment, such as chemotherapy, is needed."

In early-stage colon cancer (stages 1 and 2), surgery alone may be curative. Many patients won't need further treatment beyond regular follow-ups. In stage 3 disease, chemotherapy after surgery is usually recommended to help reduce the risk of the cancer returning.

Surgery also may be used in more advanced cases, including relieving symptoms like bleeding or bowel obstruction, or removing tumors in other organs, which might help control the disease, Dr. Dozois adds.

Rectal cancer, found in the last several inches of the large intestine, is often treated differently from colon cancer. Because the rectum is deep in the pelvis next to other organs and structures, such as nerves that control bowel and bladder function, doctors often use a multidisciplinary approach.

"For many rectal cancers, especially those that are locally advanced or close to critical structures, treatment typically begins with chemotherapy and radiation before surgery," Dr. Dozois says. "The aim is to shrink the tumor so it can be removed more completely and safely and reduce the risk that it will come back."

This sequence, called neoadjuvant therapy, is less common in colon cancer but standard in many cases of rectal cancer, which have a higher risk of local recurrence. It often improves outcomes and, in some carefully selected patients, may even allow preservation of more typical bowel function.

Rectal cancer care can involve a team of specialists, including colorectal surgeons, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists, who discuss each case together to tailor the best plan for each patient.

"Whether it's for colon or rectal cancer, the basic aim of surgery is the same: to remove the tumor completely, along with a margin of healthy tissue around it and nearby lymph nodes," Dr. Dozois says. "The surgeon then reconnects the remaining bowel so it can continue normal function."

Many colorectal operations are performed using minimally invasive techniques such as laparoscopy or robotic-assisted surgery, he adds. These methods use small incisions and advanced instruments that allow surgeons to work precisely, leading to fewer complications, less pain and a faster recovery than with traditional open surgery.

For colon cancer, minimally invasive colectomies are common and, in many patients, can be done through several very small incisions. Recovery may be quicker, with patients beginning to eat soon after surgery and returning home in a few days.

For rectal cancer, minimally invasive techniques also are used, but the surgery can be more complex because of the tighter space in the pelvis and the need to preserve nerves. Robotic surgery in particular offers 3D visualization and refined control that can be especially helpful.

Surgery for rectal cancer can sometimes affect bowel function. In some patients, a temporary or permanent stoma, an opening on the abdomen for waste to pass, may be necessary depending on the tumor's location and extent. Even with technically successful surgery, some patients experience changes in bowel habits or control (a condition sometimes called low anterior resection syndrome), urinary difficulties or sexual dysfunction. These are important aspects to discuss with your care team.

Not every colorectal cancer case is the same. The approach is individualized based on:

• Stage of the cancer: how deep it has penetrated and whether it has spread.
• Location of the tumor: rectal cancer often needs a different sequence of therapy than colon cancer.
• Overall health and preferences: patient goals, other medical conditions and recovery expectations all matter.

"Experience matters when it comes to optimizing outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer," Dr. Dozois explains. "That's why it's important to seek care from expert centers that treat a high volume of patients with colorectal cancer each year, use multidisciplinary teams to review each case, and recommend a therapeutic sequence that balances cure and quality of life."

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