The 2011 Cancer Theme Issue: Title and subTitle BreakCall for Papers

Along with cancer specialists, such as medical and surgical oncologists and radiation therapists, physicians in virtually every medical specialty will continue to encounter and care for patients with cancer.¹ With the current lifetime probability of being diagnosed with invasive cancer estimated at 38% for women and 44% for men,² virtually all families have had or will have a family member who has been affected with or has died from this disease. Even though care for patients with cancer certainly has improved, many cancers are still associated with significant morbidity, often taking a devastating toll on physical functioning, quality of life, and emotional well-being.

With the hope that publishing new research findings and clinical reports about cancer will prove helpful to physicians and other clinicians who care for patients with cancer, JAMA has always assigned a high priority to manuscripts examining the epidemiology, prevention, treatment, and outcomes of cancer.³ To focus the attention of the medical community on novel research in oncology and to provide clinicians with new information on cancer care, JAMA will publish another theme issue devoted to cancer in June 2011.

Authors are invited to submit manuscripts on any topic relevant to the biology, etiology, epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of oncologic disorders. A high priority will be given to rigorously conducted original research, especially multicenter randomized clinical trials that present new findings on treatment and novel therapeutic approaches for improving outcomes for common cancers. Careful consideration will be given to investigations exploring the genetic, genomic, and biomolecular aspects of cancer, as well as reports of basic science and translational investigations that provide novel insights about the biology, mechanisms, and pathophysiology of cancer. High-quality studies that present new data relevant to comparative effectiveness, improving prevention efforts, optimizing treatment strategies and health care delivery systems, and enhancing understanding of the functional, quality-of-life, and economic consequences of cancer care are also of interest.

We look forward to receiving manuscripts—including original research, systematic reviews, and scholarly commentaries—for consideration for the 2011 theme issue on cancer. We are particularly interested in receiving manuscripts from investigators who will be presenting research papers at the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, with the potential of publishing their peer-reviewed, full-text articles online in JAMA to coincide with their scientific presentation at the meeting.

Authors are encouraged to consult the Instructions for Authors⁴  for guidelines on manuscript preparation and submission. All submitted manuscripts will undergo JAMA 's usual rigorous editorial evaluation and review. Manuscripts received before March 1, 2011, will have the best chance of consideration for inclusion in the 2011 JAMA theme issue on cancer.