For a number of reasons, including my coming transfer of leadership for JNCCN to a new Editor-in-Chief, the journal is undergoing some noteworthy changes. To explain more about those developments, and what you can expect as readers, I’ve asked the editorial staff of the journal, including Kimberly Callan, Kerrin Rosenthal, Genevieve Emberger Hartzman, and Anthony Lograsso, to write a brief guest editorial. So without further ado…
As the field of oncology continues to evolve and progress, so too do the journals that detail the complex landscape of cancer research and practice. JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network is no different. The journal has continued to adapt and transform since its beginning, in 2003, as a quarterly review journal and vehicle for the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines). The journal’s timetable has changed multiple times, moving from quarterly to 6 issues per year in 2004, to 10 issues per year in 2006, and then finally to our current 12 regular annual issues (plus special NCCN Annual Conference Highlights) in 2010.
More importantly, the journal’s content and focus evolved along with what we felt were readers’ changing needs. In January 2015, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the founding of NCCN, the journal started emphasizing more examples of molecular medicine and principles in cancer care. We also focused the publication on the highest quality original research in the areas of health services, outcomes, quality improvement, and policy. Of course, we still published the NCCN Guidelines and NCCN Guidelines Insights (and always will) and related reviews.
During JNCCN’s evolution, we also underwent several redesigns of the print edition of the journal and launched JNCCN.org, our digital platform. Among oncology journals, the emergence and widespread adoption of digital platforms have revolutionized the way information is disseminated, accessed, and used, and there are indications of increased preferences for digital publication among readers.
To address these considerations, the JNCCN editors, staff, and NCCN leadership are continually evaluating the best ways for the journal to move forward. Among the changes you may notice is the movement of some issues of the journal—January and June—to an exclusively digital format, with no corresponding print edition. We are also transitioning to a new configuration for print/online issues, with smaller printed editions accompanied by additional exclusively digital content.
Finally, we are working on refreshing the visual appearance of JNCCN’s content, making it more streamlined and modern. You’ll see these changes in upcoming issues.
But we also want to know what you think. NCCN will be conducting several surveys, including at the NCCN 2024 Annual Conference. If you encounter one of these surveys, we hope that you’ll share your thoughts on how you prefer to access medical information and how JNCCN can provide the greatest benefit to you. But even if you don’t participate in one of the surveys, we would still love to hear from you, so please email us at JNCCN@NCCN.org. Although we might not be able to send a detailed answer to every email and survey response, you can be sure that we will review each one carefully, and we are grateful for your input/insights and your support of JNCCN.
MARGARET TEMPERO, MD
Margaret Tempero, MD, is a Professor of Medicine and Director of the UCSF Pancreas Center and editor-in-chief of JNCCN. Her research career has focused on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, especially in the area of investigational therapeutics. Dr. Tempero has served on the ASCO Board of Directors and as ASCO President. She currently serves on the ASCO Conquer Cancer Foundation Board. She codirected the AACR/ASCO Methods in Clinical Cancer Research and taught this course and similar courses in Europe and Australia. She was founding Chair of the NCI Clinical Oncology Study Section and served as a member and Chair of the NCI Board of Scientific Counselors Subcommittee A. She is a member of the Scientific Steering Committee and Chair of the Clinical and Translational Study Section for the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas. She is or has been on the Scientific Advisory Boards of the Lustgarten Foundation, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, the V Foundation, The Alberta Canada Cancer Board, and the EORTC. She served as a member of the Oncology Drug Advisory Committee for the FDA. She has served as Deputy Director and Interim Director for the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center. She is Chief Emeritus of the Division of Medical Oncology at UCSF. She served as the founding Deputy Director and was later Director of Research Programs at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.