More people under age 50 are developing cancer, and with that comes a shift in the model of care needed to serve this unique cancer patient population – including early access to fertility counseling, universal genomic testing to identify underlying genetic drivers, support resources to address long-term survivorship considerations, and community education regarding early detection and screening. Responding to this health trend, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) has launched the BRIDGE Program, a new initiative designed to address the rising issue of early-onset cancer by providing coordinated support across disease types, setting a new standard of care tailored to the specific needs of this patient population.
"Unlike traditional programs that address clinical excellence, advocacy, and research according to cancer type, our program integrates these components into a single, cohesive framework to give our patients the best possible care throughout their cancer journey, not just isolated treatment encounters," said Sara Myers, MD, PhD, an OSUCCC – James surgeon-scientist who serves as co-leader of the BRIDGE Program alongside fellow surgeon-scientist John Alexander, MD.
The program will be launched as a signature initiative of the administration of W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, who was named chief executive officer of the OSUCCC – James in May 2025. Rathmell championed initiatives addressing early onset cancers in her prior role as director of the National Cancer Institute and notes that Myers and Alexander are creating a unique program with the potential to transform cancer care and outcomes for young people across the country.
Rathmell estimates that a $20 million investment over five years is needed to build the program, which will include new clinical services and staff as well as a new competitive grants program to stimulate scientific discovery in young adult and early-onset cancers.
Bridging a gap in care
The care part of the BRIDGE Program will align support around the specific needs of people in the 18-to-50-year age group, regardless of where they begin their care. Currently, services are provided on a case-by-case basis, directed by the patient's disease-specific treatment team. In this new model, all patients between the ages of 18 and 50 will be offered enrollment in the BRIDGE Program to ensure services like fertility counseling and genomic testing are offered early in the care journey.
Rathmell says this multi-pronged, programmatic "umbrella" approach will tie together existing efforts to support younger patients at the OSUCCC – James like the existing Adolescent and Young Adult Program, Immunotherapy Management Clinic and JamesCare for Life supportive care programs to treat and support the whole patient.
Care coordinators will serve as early contact points of central coordination of referrals for age-appropriate resources. These navigators will be an extra layer of connection for follow-up between the patient and their treatment team.
Many of these patients are navigating cancer at the same time they are building careers or raising young children. Cancer comes with emotional, financial and physical stress. The BRIDGE Program will provide meaningful, thorough services and support to make the journey more streamlined, with the goal of improving outcomes. There is no question that timely cancer screening saves lives, and we also need to learn how to identify and intercept these cancers early, as well as coordinating around science to uncover the cause for the rise in cancer in young adults so that we can develop strategies to reduce risk. We must start to tackle this growing clinical problem and scientific mystery, and the way to do that is through research."
W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, chief executive officer, OSUCCC – James
Fueling research to understand rise in early-onset cancers
The BRIDGE Program will also offer a competitive pilot research grant program, administered through the OSUCCC – James Intramural Research Program and funded by Pelotonia, to encourage cross-disease research into tumor biology, genetics and outcomes for younger patients affected by cancer. These two-year pilot research grants will be awarded twice annually to scientists at the OSUCCC – James through a competitive submission and peer review process. Up to three early-onset cancer research projects will be funded through the BRIDGE Program in its first year.
"Advancing truly innovative, out-of-the box research ideas is a chicken or the egg problem: you have to have funding to gather data, but it is challenging to get funding from traditional sources without data," said Rathmell. "Pilot research grants give scientists with high-risk, high reward ideas the start-up funds to gather data to pressure-test the idea and, if it holds, apply for more funding to advance the work. We are creating the catalyst to drive these ideas forward."
The National Cancer Institute notes that rates of colon, breast, uterine and kidney cancer are rising among people under age 50, with the most stark increase among people age 20-29. In Ohio, cancer incidence rates for older adults (over 50) have been steady or even declining. However, rates of cancer for Ohio residents under age 50 have increased as much as 20% in recent years.
"This is a trend that we can't ignore or manage with the same old approaches," said Rathmell. "Drs. Myers and Alexander were inspired to do this work by patients they cared for in their practices and brought this innovative concept forward. Our goal is that individuals affected by these cancers are a part of creating this program, and that it will engage interest across the OSUCCC – James, across the university, and across our community. That is how we can make a change that impacts younger adult cancers for good."
To learn more about clinical services offered through the BRIDGE Program at the OSUCCC – James, visit cancer.osu.edu/bridge-program or call 1-800-293-5066. Information about pilot research funding opportunities through the BRIDGE Program is available at cancer.osu.edu/irp. Applications are due in January 2026 with awarded grants starting in July 2026.
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