I would like to personally welcome readers of Cancer Investigation to a number of new features that have been incorporated into the current and future issues of the Journal. Cancer Investigation will offer readers some of the latest and most exciting developments in cancer research specifically highlighting translational investigations of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. As most readers of this Journal understand, we are in a period of great enthusiasm and anticipation fueled by recent discoveries in cancer cell biology and molecular genetics yielding a vast array of new molecular markers and potential therapeutic targets along with the technical means to identify or create novel and targeted agents some of which are already proving very effective in cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Perhaps the major contribution of our new understanding of the nature of cancer and the potential of novel targeted therapies has been a transformation in the way we think about cancer and its treatment. Clinical researchers and oncologists have become increasingly willing to embrace these new scientific observations on cancer biology and genetics as well as novel therapeutics and incorporate these new tools and improved understanding into well designed clinical trials and subsequently into clinical practice. Increasingly, clinicians and investigators are eager to identify and apply novel approaches to patients based on the unique characteristics of their malignancy as well as their individual patient characteristics and tolerance. This intersection of translational discoveries, improved technology, and critical clinical thinking is transforming the very landscape of cancer management just as it promises to improve clinical outcomes for patients with cancer.
In line with these exciting new developments and the enormous increase in the accompanying literature, Cancer Investigation has made the following changes:
The Journal will focus much of its future content on translational cancer research including fundamental science with clear clinical applicability and high quality clinical investigations.
Apparent in this issue, Cancer Investigation has adopted a new design and organization which should make it more useful to busy researchers and clinicians.
The table of contents will clearly separate the excellent topic reviews from our outstanding original research contributions, dividing the latter into cellular and molecular, imaging, diagnostic and prognostic, preclinical and clinical therapeutic studies.
The changes in external appearance have been accompanied by the appointment of an outstanding group of scientists and clinical investigators to the Editorial Board including esteemed senior editors in David Goldman, Ronald Herberman and Kim Lyerly.
In addition, the Journal has recently introduced an entirely electronic submission and review system based on Manuscript Central.
Introduced in this issue of Cancer Investigation is a series of Special Articles representing reviews of the most exciting developments in clinical translational cancer research from some of the leading authors in the field. These will derive from a variety of sources including the acclaimed book series from Informa Healthcare on Translational Medicine.
The introductory Special Article chosen to lead off this series is entitled Antiangiogenic Agents in Breast Cancer by John Salter and Kathy Miller from Indiana University. This special feature is reprinted from a recent publication within the Translational Medicine series that I was privileged to edit with Hal Burstein entitled: Breast Cancer: Translational Therapeutic Strategies which was published earlier this year.
Other high quality topics from this book and the other volumes of the Translational Medicine series along with carefully selected and fully up to date reviews from other outstanding authorities will be forthcoming in each future issue of Cancer Investigation.
Later this year, the Journal will also add an Informatics series under the direction of Richard Simon from the National Cancer Institute to complement the large volume of translational research dependent upon innovative computational methods.
Nowhere have I seen the excitement and anticipation of translational cancer research better expressed than in Gabriel Hortobagyi's Foreword to Breast Cancer: Translational Therapeutic Strategies where he states: “These are exciting times to be involved in oncology. The pace of discovery, the opportunities to improve our care for patients … and the increasing possibility of developing effective and nontoxic prevention strategies make this an invigorating and intellectually challenging field. How rapidly conceptual advances translate into applicable clinical tools will depend on the process of translation and the dedication and skills of our translational investigators, as well as the increasing involvement of the oncology community at large to effect the clinical validation of novel scientific concepts.”
Thank you for the opportunity to share our excitement and enthusiasm with you as we move forward with this entirely new issue of Cancer Investigation.