- With Mayo Clinic medical oncologist
Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
"As a practicing medical oncologist, I meet with patients and families every day to help manage their course through this disease called cancer. This experience provides unique insight into the needs of cancer patients, their families and loved ones and brings into sharp focus the need for reliable information to be readily available in terms that can be easily understood." — Dr. Timothy Moynihan
Dr. Timothy Moynihan believes that providing consumers accurate, timely information on the broad, complex topic of cancer is the biggest challenge facing medical Web sites. As the guiding force behind our cancer coverage, he makes sure Mayo Clinic meets the test.
Dr. Moynihan, born in Las Vegas, N.M., but raised in Denver, is a consultant in medical oncology at Mayo Clinic and an associate professor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice and palliative care medicine. He did his medical oncology training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and then went on to the University of Minnesota and St. Paul Regions Medical Center in St. Paul, Minn., for seven years before moving to Mayo Clinic in 1999. Dr. Moynihan is director of the palliative care program at Mayo Clinic and associate medical director of the Mayo Clinic hospice.
Dr. Moynihan currently serves as the education chair for the Department of Medical Oncology and fellowship program director. Four times he has been selected as Teacher of the Year in medical oncology and elected to the Teacher of the Year Hall of Fame. Past honors include distinguished clinical teacher at the University of Minnesota Medical School, best internist at the Medical College of Wisconsin and recipient of The Upjohn Achievement Award for Excellence in Medicine. He serves on several national committees for the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
"The Internet provides a ready source of information on a wide range of topics of interest to those affected by cancer," Dr. Moynihan says. "The difficulty is trying to decide which sites provide reputable information and which information is relevant to each individual patient. The long history and tradition of excellence associated with Mayo Clinic assures you that information provided will be reliable, up-to-date and comprehensive."
Risk factors (1)
- Cell phones and cancer: What's the risk?
Tests and diagnosis (3)
- Small cell, large cell: What these cancer classifications mean
- Tumor vs. cyst: What's the difference?
- Atypical cells: Are they cancer?
Causes (1)
- Night shift and cancer: Any connection?
Complications (1)
- Cachexia in advanced cancer: What's the best treatment?
Treatments and drugs (9)
- EGFR inhibitor cancer therapy: What are the side effects?
- Opiate addiction and cancer therapy: Is it a concern?
- PICC line: How is it used for chemotherapy?
- see all in Treatments and drugs
Alternative medicine (2)
- High-dose vitamin C: Can it kill cancer cells?
- Curcumin: Can it slow cancer growth?
Prevention (1)
- Goji juice: Can it lower my cancer risk?
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
Tumor vs. cyst: What's the difference?
What's the difference between a tumor and a cyst? Could a cyst be cancerous?
Answer
from Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
Tumors and cysts are two distinct entities.
- Cyst. A cyst is a sac that may be filled with air, fluid or other material. A cyst can form in any part of the body, including bones, organs and soft tissues. Most cysts are noncancerous (benign). It's important to note, however, that nearly all cancers can produce cysts.
- Tumor. A tumor is an abnormal mass of tissue. Like a cyst, a tumor can form in any part of the body. A tumor can be benign or cancerous (malignant).
To determine whether a cyst or tumor is benign or malignant, a sample of the affected tissue — or, in some cases, the entire suspicious area — is removed and studied under a microscope. This is known as a biopsy.
Next questionAtypical cells: Are they cancer?
- Dictionary of cancer terms: C. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/templates/db_alpha.aspx?expand=C. Accessed Oct. 2, 2008.
- Dictionary of cancer terms: T. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/templates/db_alpha.aspx?expand=T. Accessed Oct. 2, 2008.
- Dictionary of cancer terms: B. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/templates/db_alpha.aspx?expand=B. Accessed Oct. 2, 2008.
