Axel Grothey's Online Review Report Card

Very happy we were able to see Dr Grothey, he was very calming and informative about our situation. Glad to have him on our team!!

Dr Axel Grothey is the Best. So glad he is our doctor. I can't say enough about him, his way of making you feel at ease and his concern for your care is Lifesaving for us.

The Grothey case is unique, because it has slipped out from under the cloak of confidentiality, making Grothey into a symbol of sexual misconduct, including abuse of power in the relationship between mentor and mentee. The Cancer Letter’s story about Grothey’s misconduct has sparked a brush fire on social media. Hundreds of people spoke openly and loudly about a problem that is usually whispered about. A groundswell of indignation and calls for accountability put pressure on the organizations that kept Grothey in leadership roles: Reacting to the story, NCI has removed Grothey from his position as co-chair of the NCI National Clinical Trials Network Gastrointestinal Steering Committee. The American Society of Clinical Oncology has disallowed Grothey from presenting at its 2021 virtual annual meeting June 4-8 and initiated formal disciplinary procedures. OneOncology, where Grothey was medical director of OneOncology Research Network, has removed him from that role. West Cancer Center, where Grothey is director of GI cancer research, said the oncology practice initiated an investigation. The University of Tennessee has started an investigation. Grothey has no formal affiliation with the university, but medical students have in the past rotated to West Cancer Center, where some may have been informally mentored by Grothey, officials said. The list of groups that have censured or barred Grothey includes the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium, Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, Fight Colorectal Cancer, and OncoAlert. The message from the oncology community is clear: those who engage in sexual misconduct face penalties that include getting kicked off NCI advisory boards, thrown out of cooperative groups and editorial boards, fired, and barred from presenting at meetings of professional societies. But none of this will matter much if the issue is limited to the misdeeds of one man rather than focusing on a pervasive problem in the culture of medicine, women in oncology warn. The Hematology/Oncology women’s Facebook group, also nicknamed The Wolfpack, has been rattled with heated discussions of gender equity in the aftermath of the Grothey story, which group members regard as just one example of how sexual misconduct and gender bias against women is systemic throughout oncology (The Cancer Letter, Oct. 2, 2020). The Cancer Letter has compiled a Twitter Moment highlighting some of the discussions, feedback, and policy suggestions that have emerged in the wake of the Grothey story. Selected tweets from #OncTwitter conversations follow: “I was shocked to read the @TheCancerLetter piece today. Heard from many colleagues that this behavior was known in the field and went on for years. Years.” – @CharuAggarwalMD “Everyone knows someone. But nobody does anything. The onus is on those who have the most to lose (the junior faculty, the resident/fellow) to report when often they are desperate to move on from trauma. How can we support our most vulnerable to make themselves more vulnerable?” – @fumikochino “I’m an oncologist with access to the most powerful anti-nausea drugs in the world but this paragraph has been making my stomach turn since I first read it in @TheCancerLetter last night. Lechery has no place in medicine or the academy.” – @marklewismd “Maybe *this* is a new role of professional societies: If a faculty member is released after internal review process finds them wanting—it’s reported to professional societies to create institutional memory nationally &confidentially. Then a tipping point is identified.” – @DrSGraff “Alright – I’m about done with the ‘I’m shocked’ phase of this story and ready to move into what WE (the individuals who can collectively impart change) do. I think we need this. It’s our profession, our mentees and our collective future.” – @TGeorgeMD “UCSF HemOnc Fellows: For Roundtable this Friday, let’s start this conversation locally. What are our progra

The National Cancer Institute removed Axel Grothey, MD, from his position as co-chair of a steering committee May 27 after reports surfaced that the physician had inappropriate sexual relationships with mentees while working at Rochester, Minn. -based Mayo Clinic, Medscape reported June 1.Jun 3, 2021

I have never had a better doctor. He is as knowledgeable as they come, and he is also kind and considerate. I feel like a partner in my care and not a bystander.

Outstanding experience. The entire building is so efficient. Dr. Grothey and his staff are so personable and informative. Could not be happier.

I was highly impressed with the care and service I received as a patient, and they are a large reason along with surgeon Paxton Dickson and his team that I am a cancer survivor. A huge thanks to Axel Grothey and the staff and management of West Cancer Clinic for helping me be cancer free.

Everyone was very nice. The facility is run like a well oiled machine!

Everything went smoothly from getting my blood tests to CT Scan to Doctors visit. It took a total of 2 hours and I was finished with no disruption of service.

Dr. Grothey is a very kind and compassionate person with much knowledge. We were blessed to have him , he always called us back if needed. Chemo would do little for my husband's type of cancer, so we decided not to do it. But Dr. Grothey explained there could be a benefit at some point for the pain. We appreciate all his efforts.