Journal profile · Oncology
Cancer Cell
ISSN 1535-6108 · eISSN 1878-3686 · Cell Press · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 2002
Cancer Cell: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 55.79; hybrid open access; APC about USD 10,400; median 236 days to acceptance (79 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: very hard; 216 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Cancer Cell is published by Cell Press and is in Zone 1 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers, Epigenetics and DNA Methylation and Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics, together about 21.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Oncology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Cancer Cell advances a systemic understanding of cancer as a dynamic interplay between tumor cells, microenvironment, microbiota, nervous system, and host physiology. We bridge foundational discoveries and clinical innovation through bidirectional translation, integrating disciplines and transformative technologies—including AI, spatial multi-omics, single-cell sequencing, and functional genomics—to decode cancer's complexity.We prioritize studies unraveling tumor heterogeneity, immune evasion, metabolic reprogramming, and therapeutic resistance, emphasizing clinical trials with biological insights and preclinical work grounded in clinical hypotheses. Submissions must adopt a systemic perspective, spanning early detection, precision medicine, and cancer's ecosystem.By uniting basic, translational, and clinical researchers, we dismantle disciplinary silos to transform knowledge and patient outcomes. Through collaborative science and rigorous review, Cancer Cell accelerates progress where lab discoveries and clinical advances converge, delivering global impact for patients.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Oncology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Cancer Immunotherapy and BiomarkersMedicine7.7%
- Epigenetics and DNA MethylationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.4%
- Cancer Genomics and DiagnosticsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.7%
- Cancer-related Molecular PathwaysMedicine6.5%
- CAR-T cell therapy researchMedicine5.1%
- Cancer, Hypoxia, and MetabolismBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.9%
- Immunotherapy and Immune ResponsesImmunology and Microbiology4.9%
- Cancer Cells and MetastasisMedicine4.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Oncology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Oncology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 1 |
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 | Cell Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Oncology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 55.79LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 56.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 75.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 75.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 26.63LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 8.68LetPub ·
- h-index
- 295LetPub ·
- h-index
- 492OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,441OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 34.58OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 41.76%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 116LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,269 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 156 | 74 | 512 |
| 2025 | 216 | 124 | 5,883 |
| 2024 | 199 | 197 | 13,349 |
| 2023 | 171 | 171 | 21,536 |
| 2022 | 202 | 202 | 21,745 |
| 2021 | 204 | 203 | 28,301 |
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 PubMed · to
236 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 15 days – 314 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 27 days (72 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 267 days
- Sample
- 79 articles with submission and acceptance dates (439 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)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Very hardLetPub ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 182 daysPublisher website ·
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 10,400 / EUR 9,640 / GBP 8,330 / JPY 1,289,910 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 10,400 | — | — |
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.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open Access
Article Publishing Charge (APC): USD 10,400 (excluding taxes). The amount you pay may be reduced during submission if applicable.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Cell Press
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 2002
- ISSN
- 1535-6108
- Electronic ISSN
- 1878-3686
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Cancer Cell
What CAS zone is Cancer Cell in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Cancer Cell is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Cell Biology / 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 Cancer Cell?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 55.79; CiteScore 75.4, h-index 492.
How long does peer review take at Cancer Cell?
Based on the dates recorded on 79 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 236 days (interquartile range 15–314 days); authors report an average review time of 4–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Very hard”. 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 Cancer Cell?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Cancer Cell is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Cancer Cell open access, and what is the APC?
Cancer Cell is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 10,400.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .