A welcome from the new Editor-in-Chief

In December 2018, Prof. Bengt Glimelius stepped down as Editor-in-Chief for Acta Oncologica and handed over the responsibility as Editor-in-Chief to me. During his more than two decades of editorship, including 18 years as Editor-in-Chief, the journal has gained international recognition, developed new concepts for scientific communication and seen its impact factor gradually increase to the present 3.47.

Acta Oncologica has a proud history and a broad scope. Initiated in 1921 as Acta Radiologica, the journal was in 1987 separated from its mother journal to stand alone as the scientific periodical of the Nordic Societies of Oncology and subsequently the Nordic Association of Clinical Physics [1–3]. Acta Oncologica invites contributions under a broad scope of topics relevant to experimental and clinical cancer research and hereby provides a forum for the exchange of information on etiology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and course of cancer. The journal today receives over 900 submissions annually and has an acceptance rate of 20% for spontaneously submitted articles [4]. Immediate full open access is offered in partnership with our publisher Taylor & Francis with free open access after 6 months.

It is with honor and a strong sense of responsibility that I take on this role as the 4th Editor-in-Chief of Acta Oncologica [5,6]. With a background in molecular genetics, training as a medical oncologist, leading research with a focus on hereditary cancer and gastrointestinal cancer, my daily work is that of a Research Director of the Danish Cancer Society Research Center linked to professorships at the Copenhagen University in Denmark and the Lund University in Sweden. The responsibilities that come with the role as Editor-in-Chief represent an exciting opportunity to serve the scientific community from a new perspective.

My aim is to strengthen the Acta Oncologica as a broad scientific journal in oncology. This direction will be granted by the scientifically broad group of coeditors. Yet, my background in genetics and medical oncology may also bring new perspectives to the editorial board. It is my aim to:

• Continue to attract leading research contributions in cancer epidemiology, radiation oncology, medical oncology and survivorship.

• Develop our services in response to the widening horizons in oncology with a strengthened focus in emerging areas such as cancer prevention and disparities, early detection, molecular epidemiology and precision medicine [7,8].

• Communicate new discoveries primarily through original research contributions and letters.

• Ensure diversity of topics through an increased number of invited reviews and mini-reviews.

• Contribute to scientific dissemination and support scientific mentorship through publication of study protocols in letter format.

• Expedite editorial handling to grant authors a rapid and authoritative evaluation.

• Involve a new generation of scientists in the work to obtain high-quality and efficient reviews.

• Further strengthen the articles published through attention to scientific reproducibility and transparency.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank authors, reviewers, members of the editorial board, coeditors and the editorial staff for high-quality contributions. You are the DNA that has made Acta Oncologica successful throughout the years. Acta Oncologica is your journal. Together we have the responsibility of developing and disseminating science in the field of oncology to respond to tomorrow’s challenges in clinical oncology.