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Reflections of the Editor-in-Chief

Editor-in-Chief, Cancer Research (January 1, 1990 – December 31, 1999)

After having served for two terms of five years as Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Research, I would like to make a few comments and to thank the Associate Editors, the AACR Staff, and the reviewers who have made Cancer Research what it is today: the most cited, the broadest, and the most selective cancer journal in the world. In the 1980s, Cancer Research, heavily loaded with papers in chemical carcinogenesis and with descriptive studies, was perceived by some as unexciting, narrow, and unmechanistic. Through the sincere and unstinting efforts of committed editors, reviewers, and staff whose interest has been and continues to be in scientific quality and innovation, I believe we have succeeded in building a very broad, mechanistic, and selective journal with a commitment to publishing high-quality studies in all the areas of cancer research, from cancer genetics, molecular and cellular biology, immunology, and pharmacology to cancer treatment and prevention. Today, Cancer Research is necessary reading for investigators involved in any aspect of modern cancer research. This has been possible through an appreciation by reviewers of what is important, innovative, and original in cancer research.

Those authors whose manuscripts have been declined (a category that includes me and numerous Associate Editors) may not agree. I can only assure them that we have made a sincere effort to publish all the papers judged to be of the highest priority, regardless of whether they addressed the most accepted paths of investigation. As a molecular geneticist, it is perhaps inevitable that my expertise and interests would have influenced the selection of Associate Editors, and thus indirectly, of reviewers. It is also perhaps inevitable that, in spite of our efforts, not every manuscript submitted has been reviewed by the most appropriate and knowledgeable reviewers. Many authors have successfully appealed initial negative reviews, and were encouraged to do so if reviewers had misunderstood important aspects of the work. The review process is not perfect, and we need your help to make it better.

In the early 1990s, the Board of Directors of the American Association for Cancer Research, some of its Presidents, and the Publications Committee decided that the Association and the cancer field needed additional, more focused publication outlets to address various aspects of cancer research that they felt Cancer Research was not adequately addressing at the time. Although we accepted those comments, we have made every effort to attract papers in all areas of cancer research and, I believe, we have done so with considerable success. Cancer Research should not be the journal for only cancer geneticists, cell biologists, or clinical oncologists. It should be and is the journal where all the most interesting aspects of basic, clinical, and translational cancer research are covered and discussed without concern for current trends or biases.

The Editorial Board of Cancer Research is heavily represented by investigators who are major and active players in both basic and clinical cancer research and not by oncocrats. I am very proud of them. The success of Cancer Research is their success and the success of the members of the American Association for Cancer Research.

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