Kimryn Rathmell, Chief Executive Officer of Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“As 2025 comes to a close, we thought we’d take a moment to celebrate stories this year that show why the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute is such a powerhouse against cancer. From groundbreaking discoveries in the lab to pioneering cutting-edge therapies for the most challenging tumors, to bringing cancer screening directly to rural communities, our team truly moved the needle on cancer.
In fact, our cancer program shined in so many facets of oncology that we once again celebrated earning an ‘Exceptional’ rating in our five-year review as a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center – fulfilling the goals of the National Cancer Program in ways that impact cancer outcomes worldwide.
Here are 25 inspiring stories from ‘25:
- Pioneering A.I. to improve detection and risk of pancreatic cancer through endomicroscopy imaging, and groundbreaking use of radio frequency ablation to treat precancerous pancreatic cysts, offering the only clinical trial for cyst ablation in the U.S.
- Why T-cells become ‘exhausted’ and cause cancer immunotherapy to fail – learning this could change the game for how to improve immunotherapy’s effectiveness
- A.I. to predict which people screened for breast cancer are likely to develop lobular breast cancer, an aggressive type known for being difficult to detect
- The first nationwide telemedicine therapeutic clinical trial for a rare pancreatic cancer, with the potential to transform how we reach patients where they live
- A novel B-cell-based immunotherapy to fight cancers linked to HPV that is also quicker and more cost-effective to manufacture than CAR T-cell therapies
- Our care team shows up as a ‘second family’ for people with cancer – they even get invited to be there when a patient’s significant other ‘pops the question.’ Bonus: Speaking of getting married, an early-onset breast cancer patient shares how Hope’s Boutique helped her shop for her wedding dress, showing how committed our team is to caring for the whole person
- Phase I trial that is the world’s first to test anti-GARP CAR-T cell therapy for glioblastoma, only available at The James
- Pelotonia raised a record-breaking $29.2 million, reaching a total of $339 million raised over 17 years to support life-saving cancer research and the next generation of researchers at The James. Of this year’s total, $2.9 million was raised by Team Buckeye, Ohio State’s official peloton – a whopping 30% more than last year.
- First-in-human phase I clinical trial for JBZ-001, a treatment both discovered and only available at The James that targets an enzyme that enables cancer cells to thrive in non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Newly-developed oncolytic virus shows promise against the most common and aggressive primary brain cancers
- Using 3D model-guided surgeries for oral cavity cancer shows greater success at completely removing tumors in bone than those not use the model
- Ohio’s first mobile lung cancer screening unit hit the road to expand early detection and cancer prevention efforts across the state.
- Our amazing medical students support The James in heroic ways – including earning Ironman championships. This is how we show up for cancer!
- Our new Building Research, Innovation and Care Delivery for Groups with Early Onset Cancers (BRIDGE) program partners with nursing, social work, science, and financial services teams to address the issues of early-onset cancers to ensure that every patient gets what they need, every time.
- Exploring how dance and music help the body ‘relearn’ to feel sensation and overcome nerve damage for breast cancer survivors experiencing neuropathy, a common side effect of chemotherapy treatment
- Launched pioneering sarcoma/oncology rehabilitation services at The James Outpatient Care to empower every patient to live fully on their own terms
- Our Cancer Diagnostic Center, which provides expedited access to diagnostic testing to people who are concerned they may have cancer, reached 3,400 new patients seen and 7,000 patient visits since it opened in 2020.
- OSUCCC – James showed up big at major conferences: Click the links to see our groundbreaking science presented at American Association for Cancer Research, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, and American Society of Hematology.
- James-led survey found that only 13% of U.S. adults – just over 1 in 10 – correctly identified testicular cancer as most commonly affecting men under 40. This is significant, as the disease is most prevalent among men between the ages of 20 and 40. Bonus: surveys further found that 80% of Americans don’t know early-stage prostate cancer often has no symptoms. Time to get the word out!
- Study challenged the long-standing practice of dividing patients with acute myeloid leukemia into younger and older groups for clinical trials and treatment decisions
- The James launched a new online second opinion platform that brings expertise, confidence, and access to patients where they are, when they need it.
- MS-553 offers a promising new treatment for the most common leukemia in adults, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), that has stopped responding to other therapies.
- A new type of BTK inhibitor called pirtobrutinib had a better response in CLL and small lymphocytic lymphoma than the standard of care treatment, ibrutinib, offering a potential practice-changing treatment for some patients.
- The Lifestyle Lab is developing and testing interventions to empower people to live healthier lives through behavior changes such as exercise, nutrition, and stress management.
- We played a key role in an NCI Phase II clinical trial that has shown the promise of a new combination therapy for advanced forms of kidney cancer that lack effective treatments.
While these stories are just a snapshot (and have hundreds more!!!), they are a testament to the passion our whole team brings to the OSUCCC – James every single day, as well as the strength of our community, whose tremendous support fuels so much of what we do.
We can’t wait to see what stories we’ll tell next year (including our expansion into more James hospital beds and operating rooms when the new University Hospital Tower opens in February, and expanding our outpatient services to Powell this summer!) as we push further toward our goal to deliver HOPE to everyone facing cancer and deliver on the promise of creating a cancer-free world – EVERY person, EVERY discovery, EVERY time.
W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, MMHC, CEO, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute
David E. Cohn, MD, MBA, FACHE, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Medical Officer, James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Raphael E. Pollock, MD, PhD, FACS, Director, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.”
More posts featuring Kimryn Rathmell.