The first thing to do when a patient is diagnosed is I tell that patient, this is a scary moment. We understand that. Take a deep breath. As you come to see me as a patient, we don't work on a formula. We work on a patient. We want to know you. We want to know who you are. We want to know what you do day-to-day. We want to know what's important to you.

It's always challenging when patients have to decide what type of treatment is best for them. And that's why at Mayo Clinic, they don't have to make that decision alone. You have all of your providers, in a truly integrated, multi-disciplinary environment under one roof in one medical record. And what that means is that the communication is wide open between those providers. The synergy between the providers is really felt in the care experience that the patient has.

All of my colleagues are top-notch. When you look at what are the latest advances in research, what are the latest drugs that are coming on the market, what are the latest techniques being used in surgery and radiation, many of those pivotal trials had been run by colleagues across the Mayo Clinic campuses. We have clinical trials that are emanating out of our own science. Work that is ongoing in our laboratories to actually discover new things about cancer, that then leads to a new drug or a new drug combination that Mayo Clinic investigators are taking forward for Mayo Clinic only patients. We adopt cutting-edge technology very quickly and we’re able to expand on its use and eventually develop further uses for it.

If I were to tell somebody what to look for when they're looking for a care center, I would say you need to find a place where you truly believe that the physicians who are taking care of you have your best interests at heart. They're the best at treating the disease that you have, and they have a passion for treating it.