Peripheral nerve tumors care at Mayo Clinic
Peripheral nerve tumor consultation at Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic experts are trusted and respected for their expertise in diagnosing and treating every type of peripheral nerve tumor, from the routine to the complex. They provide comprehensive care for adults and children with peripheral nerve tumors.
Team approach
People who come to Mayo Clinic for peripheral nerve tumors will be treated by a multidisciplinary team. Doctors trained in nervous system conditions (neurologists) and experts in nerve surgery (neurosurgeons) collaborate with radiologists; ear, nose and throat specialists (otolaryngologists); oncologists; radiation oncologists; and professionals trained to help people regain movement and function.
Other experts may be included depending on your specific needs. They might include an audiologist if you have an acoustic neuroma, also called a vestibular schwannoma, or a geneticist if you have neurofibromatosis, which can be passed on by a parent. This team works together to make sure you get exactly the care you need.
Advanced diagnosis and treatment
Mayo Clinic doctors have extensive experience diagnosing peripheral nerve tumors. They use innovative, noninvasive approaches to nerve imaging, such as high-resolution 3D imaging or high-resolution 7-T MRI.
Mayo Clinic patients have access to diagnostic studies that aren't available at many institutions, such as multimodal imaging and genetic analysis. Some advanced imaging techniques may help distinguish cancerous tumors from benign tumors without a biopsy or a cut.
If you and your health care provider decide that surgery is the right option for you, you'll be treated by a surgeon who focuses on peripheral nerve tumor care. At Mayo Clinic, highly trained neurosurgeons use the latest in surgical methods to remove the tumor while sparing nearby tissue and minimizing damage to nerves. They use computer-aided navigation and intraoperative monitoring to identify and protect healthy nerves.
Mayo Clinic neurosurgeons are experts in complex procedures, such as surgery to a recurrent nerve tumor even in people who have undergone stereotactic radiosurgery before.
Other treatments such as stereotactic radiosurgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and proton therapy may be options in certain situations. Physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists can help you recover function after treatment.
Occasionally, children and adolescents get some type of nerve tumor. Mayo Clinic treatment teams in Minnesota have experience treating tumors and will make appropriate recommendations.
Your child's treatment team can include doctors trained in treating conditions of the brain, muscles and nerves. Members of the team may include pediatric neurologists and pediatric neurosurgeons, doctors trained in hereditary conditions (geneticists), and specialists trained in physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Care focused on your needs
Providers at Mayo Clinic care for you as an individual. They take the time to listen to you and work with you to develop a treatment plan that fits your goals and needs. Their collaborative approach means your care is efficient. In many cases you can be diagnosed and start treatment in just a few days.
Expertise and rankings
A team of doctors discusses peripheral nerve tumors.
Experience
Mayo Clinic is one of the highest volume neurosurgical centers in the country. Its doctors are respected for their experience diagnosing and treating peripheral nerve tumors, from the routine to the complex, such as dumbbell tumors. Each year more than 100 people with peripheral nerve tumors seek care at Mayo Clinic.
Care for people with cancerous nerve tumors is done in conjunction with Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center meets strict standards to be designated a National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center. The designation recognizes scientific excellence and a multidisciplinary approach to cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Nationally recognized expertise
Mayo Clinic has earned national recognition for developing special techniques that let surgeons remove a tumor, often without damaging nerves. Its neurologists and neurosurgeons regularly contribute to medical journals and textbooks and host educational seminars for other doctors to advance peripheral nerve tumor treatment for people everywhere. In 2019 Mayo Clinic hosted the international conference for a type of peripheral nerve tumor called acoustic neuroma, also known as vestibular schwannoma.
Mayo Clinic physicians also have served as leaders in the American Society for Peripheral Nerve, American Academy of Neurological Surgery, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Society of Neurological Surgeons, North American Skull Base Society and the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona., rank among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery and for cancer in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. 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. With the emphasis on collaborative care, specialists interact very closely with their colleagues across all sites.
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for orthopedics by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., has been recognized as one of the top Rehabilitation hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for ear, nose and throat by U.S. News & World Report.
Learn more about Mayo Clinic's neurosurgery and neurology departments' expertise and rankings.
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.