Nature Cancer: review time and acceptance speed
ISSN 2662-1347 · Nature Portfolio · Medicine
Half of the articles Nature Cancer accepted in 2025 were accepted within 336 days of submission (n = 109); the middle half took 253–467 days.
Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026
How long does Nature Cancer take to accept a paper?
| Year | Articles (n) | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Accepted <14 days | Have a revised date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 109 | 253 | 336 | 467 | — | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2024 | 95 | 265 | 390 | 498 | — | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2023 | 107 | 224 | 315 | 425 | — | 0.0% | 0% |
| 2022 | 91 | 194 | 285 | 381 | — | 0.0% | 0% |
- 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 | 1 | 0.9% |
| 30–59 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 60–89 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 90–119 | 1 | 0.9% |
| 120–149 | 4 | 3.7% |
| 150–179 | 5 | 4.6% |
| 180–209 | 6 | 5.5% |
| 210–239 | 7 | 6.4% |
| 240–269 | 13 | 11.9% |
| 270–299 | 4 | 3.7% |
| 300–329 | 10 | 9.2% |
| 330–359 | 9 | 8.3% |
| 360+ | 49 | 45.0% |
From acceptance to online publication
After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 43 days (middle half 37–55 days, n = 109).
From submission to online publication, the median was 394 days (middle half 294–515 days, n = 109).
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 $12,690 (as reported by OpenAlex).
OpenAPC has fewer than 5 reported payments for this journal in 2023–2025, so no typical amount is shown.
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 | 0 retracted articles among 743 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database. |
| Accepted within 14 days of submission | 0.0% of 2025 articles |
| Publication volume | 185 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+6% vs 2024). |
Topics and scope
- Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers (12% of indexed topics)
- Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics (10% of indexed topics)
- CAR-T cell therapy research (9% of indexed topics)
- Immunotherapy and Immune Responses (8% of indexed topics)
- Immune Cell Function and Interaction (5% of indexed topics)
- Immune cells in cancer (5% of indexed topics)
Medicine journalsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 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 Nature Cancer, 336 days.
| Paid APC median | DOAJ | MEDLINE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer Discovery | 159 (2025, n = 174) | — | — | No | Yes |
| Cancer Research Communications | 140 (2025, n = 192) | $2,550 | $2,503 (12 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| Cancer Immunology Research | 224 (2025, n = 136) | — | — | No | Yes |
| Cancer Cell | 206 (2025, n = 203) | ≈$10,400 | — | No | Yes |
| npj Precision Oncology | 164 (2025, n = 461) | $4,290 | $1,789 (7 payments) | Yes | No |
| Cancers | 38 (2025, n = 3,955) | ≈$3,499 | $3,064 (462 payments) | No | No |
| Cell Reports Medicine | 232 (2025, n = 456) | $5,790 | $5,240 (23 payments) | Yes | Yes |
| Exploration of Targeted Anti-tumor Therapy | 97 (2025, n = 65) | $2,000 | — | Yes | No |
| Biomarker Research | 102 (2025, n = 121) | $4,090 | $3,296 (7 payments) | Yes | No |
No journals match these filters.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Nature Cancer take to accept a paper?
Half of the articles Nature Cancer accepted in 2025 were accepted within 336 days of submission (n = 109); the middle half took 253–467 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.
How long after acceptance are Nature Cancer articles published online?
Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 43 days of acceptance (n = 109).
Does Nature Cancer charge an article processing charge (APC)?
Listed APC: about $12,690 (as reported by OpenAlex).
Sources and method
Journal identity: ISSN-L 2662-1347; NLM ID 101761119; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 109 articles accepted in 2025 with valid dates; excluded records for that year: none.
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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.