News & Comment

We bid farewell to the past year with a set of specially commissioned commentaries, news articles and a selection of highlights from the cancer research literature.

In delineating scientific findings, authors should avoid assertions of primacy and novelty, in favor of measured descriptions of advance and potential importance for the field.

In combining technical innovation with foundational research, targeted therapies remain at the forefront of oncology drug discovery efforts.

Identifying different ways to stimulate the anti-tumor immune response is essential to enrich the immunotherapy arsenal with more and improved treatment options for patients.

Declaring competing interests is crucial for transparency and for the integrity of cancer research, publishing and healthcare. Critically evaluating where bias may lie is essential too.

Respectful communication is at the core of the scientific process and our editorial policies.

Authors may appeal negative editorial decisions. But should they? Here we discuss when an appeal is more or less likely to be successful and the dos and don’ts of the appeal process.

What are the elements of a well-written, informative and widely accessible paper?

What are the dos and don’ts of cover letters and how can authors maximize their value?

Cancer biology is the cornerstone on which much of modern cancer research is based. Continuing to explore the intricacies of this multilayered foundational scientific area is essential.

What does the explosion of generative artificial intelligence tools mean for science?

Authorship on a paper gives credit where it is due, but it also comes with responsibilities. Here we discuss our policies and offer advice on best practice.

Our ‘2022 in Review’ Focus highlights the year’s key developments in the cancer field in news articles, specially commissioned comment and opinion pieces, and an overview of the year’s most striking cancer research curated by the Nature Cancer editorial team.

As the UK’s feud with the EU over their post-Brexit trade agreement continues, science must not become collateral damage.

The Biden administration’s cancer-focused initiatives were reinvigorated this year with the relaunch of the Cancer Moonshot and with ARPA-H plans taking shape. But after a bumpy year of leadership turnover and missteps in funding proposals, how these efforts will play out remains to be seen.

Deeper insights into context-specific cancer cell states and the mechanisms that underlie the phenotypic plasticity of different cancer types are key to tackling tumor formation, therapy resistance and recurrence after therapy.

The true impact of a paper, a researcher’s work or a journal’s value cannot be captured by any one metric but requires a more nuanced approach that combines quantitative and qualitative measures.

The US Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade will affect patients with cancer and cancer care providers across the United States. In this time of uncertainty, it is imperative to protect health rights and evidence-based care.

The advent of immunotherapy has revolutionized the cancer field, but it is not without its challenges. In this issue, we launch our Series on Cancer Immunotherapy presenting commissioned Reviews and opinion pieces on the latest advances and efforts to expand the palette of immunotherapies and their clinical translation.

Nature Cancer and the Nature journals are raising the standards on reporting on sex and gender in research. Starting this June, authors will be prompted to provide details on how sex and gender were considered in study design.