Journal profile · Oncology
British Journal of Cancer
ISSN 0007-0920 · eISSN 1532-1827 · Springer Nature · ENGLAND · Semimonthly · Founded 1947
British Journal of Cancer: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 7.74; hybrid open access; APC about USD 5,190; median 211 days to acceptance (105 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 95%; 374 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
British Journal of Cancer is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 2 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Global Cancer Incidence and Screening, Cancer, Hypoxia, and Metabolism and Breast Cancer Treatment Studies, together about 15.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Oncology and Cancer Research. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The British Journal of Cancer (BJC) is one of the most cited general cancer journals, it is committed to publishing cutting edge discovery, translational and clinical cancer research. The BJC aims to provide a global platform to disseminate important research within the broad spectrum of oncology. The journal welcomes research across all cancer types and has a focus on: metastasis, microenvironment, immunology and immunotherapy, targeted and next-generation therapeutics, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, mechanisms of resistance, clinical trials, genomics, epigenomics and precision medicine, epidemiology, metabolism and state-of-the art diagnostic approaches. The BJC is published in association with Cancer Research UK, the world’s leading independent cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Oncology
Editor-in-chief Adrian HarrisPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Global Cancer Incidence and ScreeningMedicine5.4%
- Cancer, Hypoxia, and MetabolismBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.2%
- Breast Cancer Treatment StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5%
- Cancer Cells and MetastasisMedicine4.9%
- Lung Cancer Treatments and MutationsMedicine4.7%
- Cancer Genomics and DiagnosticsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.7%
- Colorectal Cancer Treatments and StudiesMedicine4.6%
- Cancer-related Molecular PathwaysMedicine4.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Oncology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Oncology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Oncology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEPMCCINAHLCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, OCLC
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 7.74LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 7.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 8.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 13.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.8LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.81LetPub ·
- h-index
- 212LetPub ·
- h-index
- 348OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 21,489OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.9OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 57.64%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 321LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 16,594,988Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 28,534 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 315 | 287 | 172 |
| 2025 | 374 | 372 | 1,676 |
| 2024 | 387 | 383 | 5,572 |
| 2023 | 419 | 419 | 9,309 |
| 2022 | 447 | 447 | 13,547 |
| 2021 | 461 | 460 | 17,371 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
211 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 155 days – 250 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 23 days (105 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 234 days
- Sample
- 105 articles with submission and acceptance dates (763 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 6 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 95%LetPub ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 5,190 / EUR 4,190 / GBP 3,590 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- Founded
- 1947
- ISSN
- 0007-0920
- Electronic ISSN
- 1532-1827
- Society / sponsor
- Cancer Research UK
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about British Journal of Cancer
What CAS zone is British Journal of Cancer in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, British Journal of Cancer is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Oncology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of British Journal of Cancer?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 7.74; CiteScore 13.9, h-index 348.
How long does peer review take at British Journal of Cancer?
Based on the dates recorded on 105 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 211 days (interquartile range 155–250 days); authors report an average review time of about 6 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 95%”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Which databases index British Journal of Cancer?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, British Journal of Cancer is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, PMC, CINAHL and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is British Journal of Cancer open access, and what is the APC?
British Journal of Cancer is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 5,190.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .