The Early Onset Cancer Program is guided by our core mission to support a wide range of needs. For those who choose to enroll in our program, we offer exclusive patient and family-centered support featuring several opportunities. We currently offer all of Smilow Cancer Hospital’s early onset cancer patients and their families access to virtual support groups for patients or for caregivers, but we plan to launch even more services soon. Be sure to join our mailing list to learn when new programs or events are unveiled.

Coming Soon

Engagement – Our patient and family engagement includes program updates, newsletters, webinars, events, and more.

Experience – Our specialized patient and family experience includes cancer and health system education along with tailored coordination of services, when needed.

• Information & Education – We share information and education with patients about their diagnosis, how cancer might impact their life, and available support services.
• Personalized Support – For patients and families with higher-level needs, we provide an extra layer of personalized support on top of the information and education experience whenever possible. By partnering with groups and organizations across Yale Cancer Center, Smilow Cancer Hospital, and throughout the community, we connect patients and families with available resources to help meet their needs.
  • Emotional Support: We help patients by partnering with our Social Work and Psycho-Oncology teams to connect tailored support groups or individualized support when needed.
  • Other Support: We partner with groups and organizations across Yale, Smilow, and throughout the community to help connect patients with resources for other needs, like transportation, financial support, or life’s everyday responsibilities.

Our expert investigators are learning more about early onset cancers every day to improve quality of life for patients and families. We are discovering important clinical and biological differences in early onset cancers, exploring patient experiences and outcomes, and giving a voice to the early onset cancer community.

• We help connect patients with resources about the clinical trials that may be right for them.
• We explore the emotional, social, and practical experiences of those with early onset cancers.
• We engage in studies to discover more about what makes early onset cancers different.

Learn more about Early Onset Cancer Research

Coming Soon

We are developing new pathways to help patients with early onset cancers receive cutting-edge care.

We support our clinical teams by developing easy-to-access education on early onset cancer care and simplifying how they provide care for these patients.

We also share new information about supporting early onset cancer patients and families when available.

Our community outreach and partnerships co-create a sustainable Early Onset Cancer Program that benefits everyone.

• Our program works to increase awareness and education throughout the community about early onset cacer by collaborating with local groups, like the Connecticut Cancer Partnership and Yale’s Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity to offer special events and shared resources.
• We nurture relationships with our community to increase clinical trial participation and to encourage community-engaged research throughout our program.
• We connect with other healthcare professionals in our region with the goal of enhancing services for all adults under age 50 diagnosed with cancer.