Carolyn S. Menendez, MD, FACS
Surgical Oncologist
My Locations
Part of the Duke Cancer Institute
About Me
I am a breast surgeon with additional training in clinical cancer genetics. I primarily treat patients with breast concerns, male and female, benign and cancerous, and I also work with patients to determine their risk for cancer and formulate surveillance and/or management strategies based on their risk. I really love working with patients, families, and communities. Every case is different and helping each patient and family navigate the process is a large part of my job, in addition to the technical aspects of surgery. Outside of work, I spend time with my husband, daughters, and pets. I enjoy hiking waterfalls and have hiked some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world from California to North Carolina to Brazil.
- Assistant Professor of Surgery, Surgical Oncology 2021
- Member of the Duke Cancer Institute, Duke Cancer Institute 2019
Call for an Appointment
Areas of Expertise
- Breast Conserving Surgery
- Skin and Nipple Sparing Mastectomy
- Cancer Genetics
- Benign Breast Disease
- Breast Cancer Risk Assessment
Ratings and Reviews
The ratings and reviews are based on patient responses to the overall provider rating question from the survey. The question reads: “Using any number from 0 to 10, where 0 is the worst provider possible and 10 is the best provider possible, what number would you use to rate this provider?” Responses are converted to a 5-point rating system and applied consistently to all providers. Learn more about our survey process. Patients who see some types of providers receive a different version of the patient satisfaction survey. Those results are not available on DukeHealth.org.
Training and Education
Clinical Focus and Research
I participate in clinical research regarding cancer risk factors, including trends in families, cancer risk genes, and genetic changes within cancers.
- Botty van den Bruele, Astrid, Yi Ren, Samantha M. Thomas, Koumani W. Ntowe, Laura H. Rosenberger, Carolyn Menendez, Lars J. Grimm, Akiko Chiba, and Jennifer K. Plichta. “High risk surveillance MRI may not be necessary in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers over 70 years old.” Breast Cancer Res Treat 211, no. 2 (June 2025): 421–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-025-07657-y.
- Scheuner, Maren T., Katherine J. Hoggatt, Paloma Sales, Barbara Lerner, Eva Ferino, Morgan Danowski, Ning Zhang, et al. “Mainstreaming improved adoption of germline testing for Veterans Affairs patients with metastatic prostate cancer without exacerbating disparities.” Genet Med, February 13, 2025, 101383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gim.2025.101383.
- Rosenberger, Laura H., Samantha M. Thomas, Tina J. Hieken, Kristalyn K. Gallagher, Philip M. Spanheimer, Heather B. Neuman, Anna C. Weiss, et al. “Germline genetic mutations in a multi-center cohort of 248 phyllodes tumors.” Breast Cancer Res Treat 209, no. 2 (January 2025): 275–82. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-024-07488-3.
- Menendez, Carolyn, P Kelly Marcom, and Linda M. Sutton. “Hereditary Cancer Counseling and Germline Genetic Testing.” In Common Issues in Breast Cancer Survivors A Practical Guide to Evaluation and Management, edited by G. G. Kimmick, R. A. Shelby, and L. M. Sutton, 305–18. Springer, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75377-1_20.
- Parrish, Kendra M., Samantha M. Thomas, Sara B. Cartwright, Astrid Botty van den Bruele, Rebecca Zasloff, Gayle A. DiLalla, Maggie L. DiNome, et al. “Rates of Pathologic Complete Response and Overall Survival in Patients with Inflammatory Breast Cancer: A National Cancer Database Study.” In Ann Surg Oncol, 31:8057–67, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-024-16026-w.
- Dalton, Juliet C., Samantha M. Thomas, Gabrielle Butler, Akiko Chiba, Ton Wang, Carolyn S. Menendez, Eun-Sil Shelley Hwang, and Jennifer K. Plichta. “Invasive Breast Procedures after Initial Atypia Diagnosis.” In JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS, 239:S63–64, 2024.
- Patil, Vikas, Richard Mcshinsky, Ahmad Sami Halwani, Deborah Morreall, Chunyang Li, Kelli M. Rasmussen, Christina Yong, et al. “Implementing a natural language processing pipeline to expedite clinical chart review to assess germline genetic testing in veterans with breast cancer.” In JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY, Vol. 42, 2024.
Insurance Accepted
Duke Health contracts with most major health insurance carriers and transplant networks, including the ones listed below.
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Aetna
- Aetna Choice POS, Aetna Choice POS II
- Aetna Elect Choice HMO, Aetna Open Access Elect Choice
- Aetna Health Network Only, Aetna Health Network Option
- Aetna HMO
- Aetna Limited Benefit Insurance PPO
- Aetna Managed Choice POS
- Aetna Medicare Assure Plan (HMO D-SNP)
- Aetna Medicare Eagle Plan (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Essential Plan (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Value Plan (HMO)
- Aetna Open Access HMO, Open Access Aetna Select, Aetna Open Access Managed Choice
- Aetna Open Choice PPO
- Aetna PCP Coordinated POS Plan
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (QPOS)
- Aetna Select HMO
- Aetna Traditional Choice
- Aetna Voluntary Indemnity Group Plan
- Aetna Whole Health – Duke WakeMed WKCC
- Aetna/CVS Health
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Ambetter
- Ambetter of North Carolina
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Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC
- Blue Advantage
- Blue Medicare (HMO, PPO)*
- Blue Options (123, PPO, HSA)
- Blue Select
- NC State Employees Health Plan
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*Duke HomeCare and Hospice does not participate in the plan.
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Cigna
- Cigna Behavioral Health (*Limited eligibility)
- Cigna Choice Plus
- Cigna Connect Individual Family Plan
- Cigna Open Access
- Cigna Open Access Plus
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*Please call Cigna Behavioral Heath to see if the provider is participating in your plan.
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Duke Group Plans
- Duke Basic
- Duke Select
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Experience Health
- Experience Health Medicare Advantage (HMO) Plan
- Gateway Health Alliance
- Healthgram
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Humana
- Humana Choice (PPO)
- Humana Choice - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
- Humana ChoiceCare - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
- Humana Gold Choice - Medicare Advantage (PFFS)
- Humana Gold Plus - Medicare Advantage (HMO)
- Humana Medicare Advantage Group Plan - NC State Retirees
- MedCost
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Medicare
- First Medicare Direct
- Medicare Part A
- Medicare Part B
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NC Medicaid
- AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina
- Carolina Complete Health
- Healthy Blue
- NC Medicaid Direct
- WellCare of North Carolina
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TRICARE
- TRICARE Prime
- TRICARE Prime Remote
- TRICARE Select
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United Healthcare
- AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 2 (HMO-POS)
- AARP Medicare Complete (HMO, PPO)*
- AARP Medicare Complete Essential (HMO)*
- All Savers Alternate Funding
- All Savers Fully Insured
- United Healthcare (HMO, PPO, POS)**
- United Healthcare Charter/Charter Balance/Charter Plus
- United Healthcare Choice/Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Core/Core Essential
- United Healthcare Navigate/Navigate Plus/Navigate Balanced
- United Healthcare Option PPO
- United Healthcare Passport Connect Choice/Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Passport Connect Options PPO
- United Healthcare Select/Select Plus
- United Healthcare Shared Services - Harvard Pilgrim/UHC Options PPO Network
- United Medical Resources (UMR)
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*Duke HomeCare and Hospice and mental health providers do not participate with the plan.
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**Duke Health does not participate in UHC plans on the Health Insurance Marketplace.
Before scheduling your appointment, we strongly recommend you contact your insurance company to verify that the Duke Health location or provider you plan to visit is included in your network. Your insurance company will also be able to inform you of any co-payments, co–insurances, or deductibles that will be your responsibility. If you proceed in scheduling an appointment and your health insurance benefits do not participate with Duke, your out of pocket liability may be higher. We will contact you regarding your coverage and patient liability. If you are uninsured, learn more about our financial assistance policy.