New Initiatives at Journal of Clinical Oncology

It is my pleasure to introduce myself as the new Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Clinical Oncology. I am honored to follow in the footsteps of three great Editors who have been responsible for the success of JCO since 1983; Joseph Bertino, George Canellos, and most recently, Daniel Haller. It is a daunting task to continue the heritage that these visionary Editors have created for JCO, but it is a challenge that I embrace with excitement and confidence. In this editorial, I would like to provide a brief glimpse of our vision for the future, presenting a roadmap for change and for new directions that will ensure that our journal remains fresh and competitive and serves the needs of our readership. Like many of us, my path in the field of oncology has not been linear. My original area of research involved the basic biology of hematopoietic growth factors. However, many readers are more familiar with my interest over the last 20 years in gynecologic cancers, including clinical investigation as well as basic research of ovarian cancer metastasis and drug resistance. Along the way I became involved with JCO as an Associate Editor, a position that offered me invaluable insight into the inner workings of a large and successful journal. These experiences have provided me with a unique perspective on clinical trial design, translational science, medical education, and editorship that I will bring to bear on the task at hand, namely, to ensure that JCO remains one of the most authoritative sources for cancer knowledge in the world. One of my first tasks, and one that is bittersweet, is to announce the departure of Associate Editors who have served out their term limits with JCO and to announce their replacements, all of whom are superbly qualified to continue our tradition of excellence. Michael Link, Nicholas Petrelli, Charles Loprinzi, and Arlene Forastiere have left an indelible mark through their dedication and allegiance to the journal. They will be replaced by Melissa Hudson from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Alan Venook from the University of California, San Francisco, David Steensma from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Danny Rischin from Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Australia. In addition, I have chosen to relinquish my role as Consultant Editor in Medical Sciences and will be replaced by Levi Garraway from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Each of these Editors has a track record of accomplishment that is commensurate with the roles that they will play at JCO, and I am proud to call them our new colleagues. Readers will notice several recent changes in JCO, including a new design for the front cover. Apart from such cosmetic changes, many substantive initiatives are being implemented that represent a continued commitment to providing timely service to our readership, authors, and the patients whom we treat. Many are already familiar with a recent JCO initiative launched a few months ago in which we ask authors of randomized studies to provide a redacted protocol to our readership that includes information of relevance to daily oncologic practice such as drug dosing and modification. JCO is one of the first cancer journals to recognize the importance of providing this information to our readers, empowering them to better interpret the results of clinical trials and to safely apply these results in the care of their patients. Our commitment to readily accessible information is also reflected in our recent introduction of podcasts as well as a mobile-friendly version of the journal Web site. In addition, a new section entitled “Understanding the Pathway” (UTP) is being established, edited by Levi Garraway. It will consist of short, two-page summaries that succinctly describe the biology underlying original report articles. For instance, the article by Price et al involves the predictive value of KRAS and BRAF mutations in colon cancer, and it is accompanied by a two-page UTP contribution by Bass that is designed to enable readers to place the original report into a biologic context. It is hoped that new features such as these will enhance the readership experience by packaging information published in JCO as effectively as possible. Behind the scenes, we are re-energizing the Special Series of review articles with timely topics that include advances in prostate cancer, personalized medicine for the oncologist, cancer survivorship in adults, GI malignancies, and virally induced cancers, to name a few. In a similar fashion, the Comments and Controversies section of the journal will become a vibrant platform for pieces that involve onco-economics, health care policy, and other topics of timely importance. Finally, readers will notice that we have resurrected the print version of the Correspondence section, in addition to providing these articles online. I have always considered the Correspondence section to represent an ongoing discussion of an original report; it is a platform that encourages readers to provide alternative interpretations, uncover flaws in the analysis, and clarify issues that were not fully addressed in the original article. It recognizes the fact that an article’s impact does not end at the time of publication but is shaped by readership opinion that begins after publication has occurred. It is hoped that inclusion of the Correspondence section in the print version of JCO will make this important section more accessible to all subscribers, regardless of whether they have ready access to a computer. Although we are excited about these initiatives, perhaps the most important new development of which readers and authors should be aware is the institution of a formal process of rapid review at JCO. Through the years we have taken pride in our ability to streamline the manuscript review process such that the median time from completed submission to first decision is 14 days, and the median time from acceptance to online publication (ie, the official publication date) is 11 JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY E D I T O R I A L S VOLUME 29 NUMBER 19 JULY 1 2011