European Journal of Cancer: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 0959-8049 · ISSN 1879-0852 · Elsevier BV · Medicine

Half of the articles European Journal of Cancer accepted in 2025 were accepted within 71 days of submission (n = 388); the middle half took 49–102 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
71 days median
middle half 49–102 · n = 388
Acceptance → online
6 days median
middle half 3–9 · n = 389
Change since 2023
No clear change since 2023 (median 63 → 71 days; 90% CI +2 to +14 days).
Open access · fees
Hybrid · ≈$4,270

Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026

Plan submissions to a deadline — free

How long does European Journal of Cancer take to accept a paper?

days045901351802020: middle half 48–116 days802020n=3442021: middle half 43–102 days712021n=4252022: middle half 46–97 days702022n=3762023: middle half 40–84 days632023n=2992024: middle half 46–91 days692024n=3312025: middle half 49–102 days712025n=388
Line = median; shaded box = middle half of articles (25th–75th percentile). Year of acceptance.
Days from submission to acceptance, by year of acceptance
YearArticles (n)25th pctMedian75th pct90th pctAccepted <14 daysHave a revised date
202538849711021444.1%91%
20243314669911204.2%89%
20232994063841248.4%85%
20223764670971257.7%88%
202142543711021367.5%86%
2020344488011615815.4%78%

Research articles vs reviews (2025)

Typen25th pctMedian75th pct
Research articles3275174109
Reviews61376379

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 12% (47 articles)030–59 days: 24% (93 articles)3060–89 days: 32% (123 articles)6090–119 days: 13% (52 articles)90120–149 days: 11% (41 articles)120150–179 days: 5% (19 articles)150180–209 days: 2% (8 articles)180210–239 days: 0% (1 articles)210240–269 days: 1% (3 articles)240270–299 days: 0% (0 articles)270300–329 days: 0% (0 articles)300330–359 days: 0% (0 articles)330360+ days: 0% (1 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–294712.1%
30–599324.0%
60–8912331.7%
90–1195213.4%
120–1494110.6%
150–179194.9%
180–20982.1%
210–23910.3%
240–26930.8%
270–29900.0%
300–32900.0%
330–35900.0%
360+10.3%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 6 days (middle half 3–9 days, n = 389).

From submission to online publication, the median was 80 days (middle half 55–111 days, n = 388).

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). Listed APC: about $4,270 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $4,546 per article (2023–2025, 7 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 DOAJNo
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025Yes
Retractions0 retracted articles among 1,883 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission4.1% of 2025 articles
Publication volume390 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+16% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Medicine journalsOncology 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 European Journal of Cancer, 71 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
ESMO Open98 (2025, n = 323)$4,310YesYes
The Oncologist135 (2025, n = 399)$3,668$3,741 (12 payments)YesYes
Annals of Oncology78 (2025, n = 127)≈$5,080NoYes
Cancer Treatment and Research Communications131 (2025, n = 215)$2,940YesYes
British Journal of Cancer184 (2025, n = 344)≈$5,190$4,934 (6 payments)NoYes
Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology118 (2025, n = 271)$2,800YesNo
Cancer Research and Treatment107 (2025, n = 167)NoYes
Cancer Treatment Reviews64 (2025, n = 126)≈$4,910NoYes
The Lancet Oncology60 (2025, n = 265)≈$7,280NoYes
Clinical Medicine Insights Oncology138 (2025, n = 64)$2,650YesNo

Frequently asked questions

How long does European Journal of Cancer take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles European Journal of Cancer accepted in 2025 were accepted within 71 days of submission (n = 388); the middle half took 49–102 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are European Journal of Cancer articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 6 days of acceptance (n = 389).

Does European Journal of Cancer charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: about $4,270 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 0959-8049; NLM ID 9005373; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 388 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.