With advances in care and research, along with the opening of new, state-of-the-art facilities, 2023 was another big year in Ohio State’s work to create a cancer-free world. “These are really exciting times for our cancer program, as we continue to broaden our facilities and access, and further the innovation of treatments, technologies and expertise that offer tomorrow’s treatments today,” says David Cohn, MD, MBA, interim CEO and chief medical officer of The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Read on for some of the many cancer care and research highlights from The Ohio State University over the past year, and watch the video player above (or listen on SoundCloud) for a closer look at 2023 at The James. The James Outpatient Care opens Access to world-class cancer care increased at Ohio State in 2023 with the opening of The James Outpatient Care in the university’s Carmenton innovation district. The 385,000-square-foot facility provides surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation and many other treatments and services. “This building is different than the James Cancer Hospital because it's an outpatient facility. So patients are not staying for days and days like they would here in the James proper. So a lot of cancer care is moving to the ambulatory location, whether it's surgery, whether it's infusion services, clinical trials, and other on examination in the clinics, those were all ambulatory. And that's everything that will be housed in this building. It's a very patient centered approach,” Cohn says. Click here to learn about The James’ 20 central Ohio locations, including hospitals, clinics and more. Proton therapy comes to central Ohio Among the groundbreaking features at The James Outpatient Care is the region’s first proton therapy center, which opened its doors in December 2023. The center will provide many adult and pediatric cancer patients (via a partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital) with state-of-the-art proton radiation therapy, which can greatly reduce some of the side effects that can come with traditional cancer treatments. “With conventional radiation, there is an entry point and exit point, and all the normal tissue in-between receives radiation. With proton radiation, one of the great benefits is it minimizes the amount of normal tissue that is irradiated. The goal is to eradicate the tumor and minimize side effects in patients. We’re also developing an image-guidance platform that will target cancer cells where they sequester — they can run but they can’t hide from this technology,” says Arnab Chakravarti, MD, the chair of Ohio State’s department of radiology. Click here to learn how proton radiation therapy will be a game-changer for many cancer patients at Ohio State and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Another record-breaking year of Pelotonia Riders, volunteers and donors came together again in 2023 to raise millions for cancer research through the annual Pelotonia event. Along with the annual bike ride and accompanying Challenger options, organizers added a new date to the Pelotonia calendar, with the first-ever Gravel Day event. Altogether, the Pelotonia community raised more than $25 million for The James’ cancer research in 2023, bringing its 15-year total to $283,661,867. “The funds raised by the Pelotonia community are crucial momentum builders in the work to advance cancer research. Many researchers come to Ohio State because of Pelotonia funding. The investment Pelotonia makes in their ideas catapults early efforts into larger, federal grants that grow the scope and impact of research to ultimately improve patient outcomes and save lives,” says Raphael Pollock, MD, PhD, the director of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. Click here to learn how you can support Ohio State’s work to create a cancer-free world. New grant to fund groundbreaking tobacco and vaping research Experts from Ohio State’s Center for Tobacco Research (CTR) will help shape the nation’s tobacco and nicotine regulatory efforts with the help of a $20 million Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (TCORS) grant. Ohio State’s CTR team is one of seven across the U.S. that will participate in the effort, which will provide scientific evidence to officials responsible for overseeing the regulation of cigarettes, e-cigarettes and more. “This grant allows us to conduct critical research to guide the FDA’s regulation of nicotine in e-cigarettes and oral nicotine pouches. We argue that just as the industry manipulates nicotine in its products to ignite epidemic use, effective, science-based regulation of nicotine has the potential to spur major public health victories. Our ultimate goal is to determine what regulations will lead to reduced youth use of e-cigarettes and oral nicotine pouches while at the same time support smokers and smokeless tobacco users looking to switch to less harmful alternatives,” says Theodore Wagener, PhD, the CTR director and co-principal investigator of the OSU-TCORS grant. Click here to learn more about The Center for Tobacco Research at Ohio State. Smart drugs for pancreatic cancer patients A promising new targeted cancer therapy will soon be available to certain patients with advanced pancreatic cancer from the comfort of their home. The treatment will be available through a first-of-its-kind, entirely telehealth-based cancer clinical trial at The James. “By taking clinical trial treatment options directly to the patient and partnering with community oncologists across the United States, we greatly expand access to patients who need these therapies — and we are more capable of making meaningful discoveries by recruiting larger groups of patients. It was an informed patient who was seeking treatment that put the wheels in motion and paved the way for this new trial,” says Sameek Roychowdhury, MD, PhD, the study’s principal investigator. Click here to learn more about cancer clinical trials currently underway at the OSUCCC – James. New hope for some blood cancer patients A new targeted drug, studied by Ohio State researchers may offer a new treatment option for patients with blood cancers, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) whose disease has stopped responding to standard treatments. “Blood cancers that have relapsed after initial treatments can be difficult to treat, and even with our effective medications, some patients run out of standard treatment options. In this trial, nemtabrutinib looks very promising for patients whose cancer has progressive after other treatments,” says Jennifer Woyach, MD, the study’s lead investigator. Click here to learn more about leukemia, lymphoma and dozens of other cancers, including risks, symptoms and treatment options at the OSUCCC – James. Shining a light on social media cancer misinformation Ohio State researchers took on the problem of online health misinformation in 2023, with a new study focused on misleading gynecologic cancer advice on TikTok. Researchers looked at the top five hashtags related to gynecologic cancers, and found that more than 70 percent of the content on the popular social media platform was inaccurate and of poor educational quality. “The intent of this study was to understand the needs of patients that may go unspoken in the clinic but represent gaps in care that need addressed. As doctors, we are focused on treatment toxicities and patient outcomes, but many of our patients are navigating really difficult challenges at home – like figuring out how to show their child love and attention when they are going through fatiguing treatments,” says Laura Chambers, DO, the study’s senior author. Click here to learn more about cancer research at The Ohio State University.