News | Ohio State Launches BRIDGE Program to Reshape Integrated Care for Early-Onset Cancer
As cancer incidence continues to rise among people under 50, traditional care models organized around tumor type face new challenges. In response to this public 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. It aims to provide integrated, cross-disease support throughout the care journey for patients with early-onset cancer and explore a new standard of care better suited to younger patients.
The BRIDGE Program focuses on the distinct population aged 18 to 50. It emphasizes early fertility counseling and comprehensive genomic testing to identify potential hereditary drivers, together with long-term survivorship support and community education on early screening and diagnosis. By integrating clinical care, patient support and research innovation, the program moves beyond services divided by cancer type to provide continuous, coordinated and comprehensive care.
“Unlike traditional programs focused on clinical care, advocacy or research for a single cancer type, BRIDGE integrates these elements into one unified and coherent framework. This ensures patients receive the best possible support throughout their cancer journey, rather than through isolated treatment encounters,” said Dr. Sara Myers, an OSUCCC – James surgeon-scientist and co-leader of the BRIDGE Program. The other co-leader is surgeon-scientist Dr. John Alexander.
The BRIDGE Program is one of the signature initiatives introduced by new OSUCCC – James CEO Dr. W. Kimryn Rathmell. Rathmell took office in May 2025 after serving as director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and has long focused on early-onset cancer. She said the program being developed by Myers and Alexander has the potential to change cancer care and outcomes for young people nationwide. Rathmell expects the program to require about $20 million over five years to build new clinical services, recruit specialists and establish a competitive research grant program.
At the care level, BRIDGE will serve as an umbrella system integrating existing OSUCCC – James resources, including the adolescent and young adult program, immunotherapy management clinic and JamesCare for Life supportive care program, to deliver patient-centered whole-person care. All patients aged 18 to 50, regardless of their initial treatment department, will be proactively invited to join BRIDGE so they can access essential services such as fertility counseling and genetic testing early in care.
The program will also appoint dedicated nurse coordinators as early points of contact, managing referrals, resource connections and follow-up communication while strengthening continuity between patients and care teams. For young patients building careers or raising children, cancer often brings immense emotional, financial and physical stress. BRIDGE seeks to reduce this burden and improve the overall care experience and outcomes through more systematic, seamless support.
“Timely cancer screening unquestionably saves lives, but we also need to determine how to identify and intercept these cancers earlier, and use research to uncover the underlying reasons they are increasing among young people so we can develop risk-reduction strategies,” Rathmell said. “This is a growing clinical challenge and scientific puzzle that must be solved through research.”
For research, BRIDGE will establish a pilot grant program administered through OSUCCC – James' internal research program and funded by Pelotonia. It will encourage research across cancer types on tumor biology, genetic characteristics and outcomes in younger patients. Grants will be awarded through competitive applications and peer review twice a year to center scientists, with each award lasting two years. Up to three early-onset cancer projects will be supported in the program's first year.
“Truly groundbreaking research ideas often face a chicken-and-egg problem: without data it is difficult to obtain traditional funding, but without funding researchers cannot collect data,” Rathmell said. “Pilot grants provide initial support for these high-risk, high-reward ideas, helping researchers prove their concepts and pursue larger grants. We want to be a catalyst that moves these innovations forward.”
National Cancer Institute data show continuing increases in colorectal, breast, uterine and kidney cancer among people under 50, with the sharpest rise among those aged 20 to 29. In Ohio, cancer incidence among people over 50 has remained stable or declined in recent years, while rates among residents under 50 have risen by as much as 20%.
“This trend cannot be ignored or addressed with the same old approaches,” Rathmell emphasized. “Drs. Myers and Alexander developed this innovative idea in response to patients' experiences in clinical practice. Our goal is to involve affected patients in building the program and create broad alignment across the center, university and community to deliver lasting change in cancer care for young adults.”
Information on BRIDGE clinical services is available at cancer.osu.edu/bridge-program or by calling 1-800-293-5066. Pilot research grant information is available at cancer.osu.edu/irp. Applications are due in January 2026, and funded projects will begin in July 2026.
News | Ohio State Launches BRIDGE Program to Reshape Integrated Care for Early-Onset Cancer
News | Ohio State Launches BRIDGE Program to Reshape Integrated Care for Early-Onset Cancer
As cancer incidence continues to rise among people under 50, traditional care models organized around tumor type face new challenges. In response to this public 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. It aims to provide integrated, cross-disease support throughout the care journey for patients with early-onset cancer and explore a new standard of care better suited to younger patients.
The BRIDGE Program focuses on the distinct population aged 18 to 50. It emphasizes early fertility counseling and comprehensive genomic testing to identify potential hereditary drivers, together with long-term survivorship support and community education on early screening and diagnosis. By integrating clinical care, patient support and research innovation, the program moves beyond services divided by cancer type to provide continuous, coordinated and comprehensive care.
“Unlike traditional programs focused on clinical care, advocacy or research for a single cancer type, BRIDGE integrates these elements into one unified and coherent framework. This ensures patients receive the best possible support throughout their cancer journey, rather than through isolated treatment encounters,” said Dr. Sara Myers, an OSUCCC – James surgeon-scientist and co-leader of the BRIDGE Program. The other co-leader is surgeon-scientist Dr. John Alexander.
The BRIDGE Program is one of the signature initiatives introduced by new OSUCCC – James CEO Dr. W. Kimryn Rathmell. Rathmell took office in May 2025 after serving as director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and has long focused on early-onset cancer. She said the program being developed by Myers and Alexander has the potential to change cancer care and outcomes for young people nationwide. Rathmell expects the program to require about $20 million over five years to build new clinical services, recruit specialists and establish a competitive research grant program.
At the care level, BRIDGE will serve as an umbrella system integrating existing OSUCCC – James resources, including the adolescent and young adult program, immunotherapy management clinic and JamesCare for Life supportive care program, to deliver patient-centered whole-person care. All patients aged 18 to 50, regardless of their initial treatment department, will be proactively invited to join BRIDGE so they can access essential services such as fertility counseling and genetic testing early in care.
The program will also appoint dedicated nurse coordinators as early points of contact, managing referrals, resource connections and follow-up communication while strengthening continuity between patients and care teams. For young patients building careers or raising children, cancer often brings immense emotional, financial and physical stress. BRIDGE seeks to reduce this burden and improve the overall care experience and outcomes through more systematic, seamless support.
“Timely cancer screening unquestionably saves lives, but we also need to determine how to identify and intercept these cancers earlier, and use research to uncover the underlying reasons they are increasing among young people so we can develop risk-reduction strategies,” Rathmell said. “This is a growing clinical challenge and scientific puzzle that must be solved through research.”
For research, BRIDGE will establish a pilot grant program administered through OSUCCC – James' internal research program and funded by Pelotonia. It will encourage research across cancer types on tumor biology, genetic characteristics and outcomes in younger patients. Grants will be awarded through competitive applications and peer review twice a year to center scientists, with each award lasting two years. Up to three early-onset cancer projects will be supported in the program's first year.
“Truly groundbreaking research ideas often face a chicken-and-egg problem: without data it is difficult to obtain traditional funding, but without funding researchers cannot collect data,” Rathmell said. “Pilot grants provide initial support for these high-risk, high-reward ideas, helping researchers prove their concepts and pursue larger grants. We want to be a catalyst that moves these innovations forward.”
National Cancer Institute data show continuing increases in colorectal, breast, uterine and kidney cancer among people under 50, with the sharpest rise among those aged 20 to 29. In Ohio, cancer incidence among people over 50 has remained stable or declined in recent years, while rates among residents under 50 have risen by as much as 20%.
“This trend cannot be ignored or addressed with the same old approaches,” Rathmell emphasized. “Drs. Myers and Alexander developed this innovative idea in response to patients' experiences in clinical practice. Our goal is to involve affected patients in building the program and create broad alignment across the center, university and community to deliver lasting change in cancer care for young adults.”
Information on BRIDGE clinical services is available at cancer.osu.edu/bridge-program or by calling 1-800-293-5066. Pilot research grant information is available at cancer.osu.edu/irp. Applications are due in January 2026, and funded projects will begin in July 2026.
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