Cancer Research: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 0008-5472 · ISSN 1538-7445 · American Association for Cancer Research · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Half of the articles Cancer Research accepted in 2025 were accepted within 233 days of submission (n = 362); the middle half took 172–287 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does Cancer Research take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 362 | 172 | 233 | 287 | 353 | 9.9% | 90% |
| 2024 | 318 | 141 | 192 | 253 | 327 | 11.6% | 88% |
| 2023 | 280 | 130 | 188 | 234 | 293 | 7.5% | 93% |
| 2022 | 336 | 132 | 179 | 238 | 298 | 2.4% | 98% |
| 2021 | 424 | 136 | 175 | 230 | 280 | 0.0% | 100% |
| 2020 | 441 | 135 | 175 | 232 | 299 | 0.0% | 100% |
- 2026: not shown yet — a year is reported once late-indexed articles have arrived (at least 180 days after it ends).
Distribution in 2025
Show as a table
| Days | Articles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–29 | 37 | 10.2% |
| 30–59 | 3 | 0.8% |
| 60–89 | 10 | 2.8% |
| 90–119 | 11 | 3.0% |
| 120–149 | 18 | 5.0% |
| 150–179 | 20 | 5.5% |
| 180–209 | 44 | 12.2% |
| 210–239 | 51 | 14.1% |
| 240–269 | 54 | 14.9% |
| 270–299 | 32 | 8.8% |
| 300–329 | 28 | 7.7% |
| 330–359 | 23 | 6.4% |
| 360+ | 31 | 8.6% |
From acceptance to online publication
Not enough articles with both an acceptance date and an online publication date to measure the time to online publication.
Read these numbers carefully
- These times describe articles the journal accepted. Rejected manuscripts never appear in public data, so they cannot tell you how long a rejection takes.
- Dates are the ones the publisher deposited with PubMed. Some publishers record the date a revised manuscript arrived as the submission date, which makes review look faster.
- Invited articles and special issues can move faster than regular submissions.
Open access status and publishing fees
Hybrid (subscription journal with an open-access option). No listed APC found in DOAJ or OpenAlex. That does not mean publishing is free — check the journal's author guidelines.
Institutions reported paying a median of about $6,483 per article (2023–2025, 6 reported payments in OpenAPC; converted from euros at yearly ECB average rates).
Many journals waive or reduce fees for authors from eligible countries or institutions with publishing agreements — check with the journal and your library.
Integrity and indexing signals
Facts from public records, shown without judgement. See the methodology for why each can be worth a closer look.
| Listed in DOAJ | No |
|---|---|
| Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025 | Yes |
| Retractions | 2 retracted articles among 1,720 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (1.16 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 9.9% of 2025 articles |
| Publication volume | 357 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+14% vs 2024). |
Topics and scope
- Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics (8% of indexed topics)
- Cancer, Hypoxia, and Metabolism (8% of indexed topics)
- RNA modifications and cancer (6% of indexed topics)
- Cancer Research and Treatments (6% of indexed topics)
- Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers (5% of indexed topics)
- Cancer Cells and Metastasis (5% of indexed topics)
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology journalsMedicine journalsCancer Research journals
Similar journals — faster or cheaper, side by side
Journals publishing on the most similar topics (OpenAlex), ordered by similarity. Only 2025 figures are compared with the 2025 median of Cancer Research, 233 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Cancer Research | 137 (2025, n = 502) | — | $5,898 (11 payments) | No | Yes |
| Molecular Oncology | 153 (2025, n = 193) | $4,730 | $3,784 (6 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| Molecular Cancer Therapeutics | 209 (2025, n = 174) | — | — | No | Yes |
| Cancer and Metastasis Reviews | 122 (2025, n = 69) | ≈$3,790 | — | No | Yes |
| Molecular Cancer Research | 195 (2025, n = 71) | — | — | No | Yes |
| Cancer Science | 120 (2025, n = 276) | $2,600 | — | Yes | Yes |
| Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Reviews on Cancer | 131 (2025, n = 262) | ≈$5,070 | — | No | Yes |
| Cancer Drug Resistance | 96 (2025, n = 63) | — | — | No | No |
| Translational Oncology | 148 (2025, n = 375) | $3,880 | — | Yes | No |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Cancer Research take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles Cancer Research accepted in 2025 were accepted within 233 days of submission (n = 362); the middle half took 172–287 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
Does Cancer Research charge an article processing charge (APC)?
No listed APC found in DOAJ or OpenAlex. That does not mean publishing is free — check the journal's author guidelines.
Sources and method
Journal identity: ISSN-L 0008-5472; NLM ID 2984705R; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 362 articles accepted in 2025 with valid dates; excluded records for that year: same day non research 1.
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Data sources. Submission, acceptance and publication dates: Courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (PubMed, entries through Sep 15, 2026). NLM does not endorse Journal Clock, and these figures may not reflect the most current PubMed data. Journal fees and open-access listing: DOAJ (CC0, retrieved Sep 16, 2026). Fees paid by institutions: OpenAPC (Open Database License, retrieved Sep 16, 2026). Retractions: Retraction Watch Database via Crossref (retrieved Sep 16, 2026). Journal identifiers and topics: OpenAlex (CC0). Currency conversion: ECB reference rates (Sep 15, 2026). How these numbers are calculated · For organisations.