Editorial

Thirteen years ago, when Clinical Cancer Research was launched, founding Editor-in-Chief John Mendelsohn described the journal's focus as “innovative clinical research and translational research which bridges the laboratory and the clinic.” He noted the journal would be “of interest to basic scientists with clinical interests and to clinical investigators exploring new therapies…” (1). The last decade has witnessed an exponential increase in our understanding of the oncogenomics of cancer, and Clinical Cancer Research has fulfilled its promise to become a well-respected and reliable source for clinical and laboratory translational oncology research that leads to improved diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment for our patients. As Clinical Cancer Research's newest Editor-in-Chief, I intend to build on the success of my illustrious predecessors—John Mendelsohn, William Hait, and Eric Rubin—and to take Clinical Cancer Research to its next level of excellence as the principal resource for cancer research from bench-to-bedside and back.

Our focus will cover the spectrum from gene discovery and cancer biology to imaging and biomarkers to innovative adaptive clinical trial design. We will evolve new paradigms of translational research to expedite the development of novel drugs, biomarkers, vaccines, devices, or patient quality-of-life interventions. We will encourage the publication of advances in data acquisition, analysis, and bioinformatics essential to our progress in translational research. We aspire to feature common molecular mechanisms and pathways implicated in both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, as well as in nonmalignant diseases, not only to better understand disease pathogenesis but also to fast-forward the development of targeted therapies across diseases. We will encourage the publication of innovative laboratory methods, including high-throughput screening technologies and improved animal modeling, to help us develop preclinical models that are better able to predict clinical efficacy. Importantly, we will propose and advocate the development of novel strategies whereby academia, biotechnology/pharmaceuticals, the National Cancer Institute and funding agencies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and regulatory authorities, and our patient advocacy groups can together speed the bench-to-bedside translation of novel cancer drugs. Presently, if all goes well, 7 to 10 years can pass from drug discovery through validation, clinical protocol testing, and Food and Drug Administration approval. Clinical Cancer Research will encourage and publish team science that will more rapidly move this science-to-clinical application process. Clearly, we can do better; our patients are counting on us!

We are determined that Clinical Cancer Research will become the premier venue and forum for basic scientists and clinicians alike to move information rapidly and effectively into improved patient care. To that end, we have reconstituted the Deputy and Senior Editorial Board to better reflect the future content of the journal. Patricia Steeg and Jerome Ritz have joined James Abbruzzese, Carlos Arteaga, Alexander Eggermont, and Eric Rubin as Deputy Editors. Susan Bates' new title, Senior Editor for CCR Focus, reflects the critical role she plays in editing these increasingly popular features. Lee Ellis, Jennifer Grandis, Thomas Hamilton, Lee Helman, Bruce Johnson, Jonathan Licht, and Owen O'Connor have joined Ronald Blasberg, James Doroshow, Stephen Hahn, Paul Kleihues, Massimo Loda, Steven Piantadosi, and Beverly Teicher as Senior Editors. We will be adding additional senior editors to meet our objective that editorial decisions and peer review be conducted by experts in disease subspecialties and that all disciplines and expertise necessary for translational research are represented. The integrity of our review process is paramount in our quest to provide fair reviews and to attract the best articles, and we are committed to rapid, rigorous, and constructive reviews. We will continually balance and refresh our Editorial Advisory Board to reflect the many disciplines within translational oncology and the world in which we work. A particular emphasis at the American Association for Cancer Research and in Clinical Cancer Research will be to create new relationships with our counterparts in Europe and Asia to reflect the rapid international sharing of preclinical and clinical information and ultimately to promote the access of patients worldwide to advances published in Clinical Cancer Research.

Exciting new feature sections are planned. Steven Piantadosi is coordinating our efforts to launch a regular feature on biostatistics. Through this series of articles, experts will approach biostatistics from the point of view of the clinician or clinical trialist. We plan to make better use of the Internet. As our online version, instead of the printed issue, becomes the journal of record, we are committed to offering readers easier access to articles, facilitating forums for the exchange of information and providing improved data retrieval from supplemental sources.

I am very grateful to the editors who preceded me for their tireless efforts in taking Clinical Cancer Research to the prestigious position it holds today. I am especially grateful to Eric Rubin, who served as interim editor for much of 2007. I also thank the American Association for Cancer Research for the opportunity to help set the direction of Clinical Cancer Research over the next 5 years. This opportunity is a unique honor and privilege, as the promise of transforming how we diagnose and treat cancers has never been greater than it is today. Finally, I invite you—our readers, authors, and reviewers—to join me and the distinguished scientists who serve as editors of Clinical Cancer Research to pursue through this journal our ultimate goal of conquering cancer.