Journal profile · Oncology
International Journal of Cancer
ISSN 0020-7136 · eISSN 1097-0215 · Wiley-Liss Inc. · SWITZERLAND · Semimonthly
International Journal of Cancer: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.83; hybrid open access; APC about USD 5,030; median 164 days to acceptance (106 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 28%; 568 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal of Cancer is published by Wiley-Liss Inc. and is in Zone 2 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Immunotherapy and Immune Responses, Immune Cell Function and Interaction and Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research, together about 19.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Oncology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Journal of Cancer (IJC) is the official journal of the Union for International Cancer Control—UICC; it appears twice a month. IJC invites submission of manuscripts under a broad scope of topics relevant to experimental and clinical cancer research and publishes original Research Articles and Short Reports under the following categories: Cancer Epidemiology Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics Infectious Causes of Cancer Innovative Tools and Methods Molecular Cancer Biology Tumor Immunology and Microenvironment Tumor Markers and Signatures Cancer Therapy and Prevention The International Journal of Cancer has been a member of COPE since 2008.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Oncology
Editor-in-chief Christoph PlassPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Germany 6, United States 1 (7 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Immunotherapy and Immune ResponsesImmunology and Microbiology8.3%
- Immune Cell Function and InteractionImmunology and Microbiology5.6%
- Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies ResearchMedicine5.2%
- Genetic factors in colorectal cancerMedicine5.1%
- Cervical Cancer and HPV ResearchMedicine5%
- Cancer-related Molecular PathwaysMedicine4.7%
- Cancer Risks and FactorsMedicine4.6%
- Cancer Genomics and DiagnosticsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.4%
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: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Oncology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Oncology | Zone 2 |
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
- 4.83LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 4.9Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 9.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 9.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.9LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.51LetPub ·
- h-index
- 212LetPub ·
- h-index
- 329OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 23,835OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.42OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 55.54%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 484LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 511Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 2,332,023Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 33,299 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 451 | 307 | 142 |
| 2025 | 568 | 401 | 1,837 |
| 2024 | 513 | 394 | 4,792 |
| 2023 | 453 | 334 | 5,016 |
| 2022 | 519 | 315 | 10,261 |
| 2021 | 485 | 392 | 16,879 |
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
164 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 120 days – 199 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 16 days (111 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 182 days
- Sample
- 106 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,105 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 1.5 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 28%LetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 11%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 11%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 150 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 16 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewPublisher 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 5,030 / EUR 4,280 / GBP 3,370 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 150 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Colour charges
- USD 500
- Page charges
- USD 150
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)
What to prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 3–5
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 5,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
- Not considered
- Case Reports; Meta-analyses; Mendelian randomization studies; Machine learning reports
Article types accepted5, with length limits
- full research article2.1 Research Articles and Short Reports Full research papers should be as concise as possible, without sacrificing documentation of results. Manuscripts contain…Length not stated
- full research paper2.1 Research Articles and Short Reports Full research papers should be as concise as possible, without sacrificing documentation of results. Manuscripts contain…Length not stated
- meta-analysis2.1 Research Articles and Short Reports Full research papers should be as concise as possible, without sacrificing documentation of results. Manuscripts contain…Length not stated
- research article2.1 Research Articles and Short Reports Full research papers should be as concise as possible, without sacrificing documentation of results. Manuscripts contain…main text ≤ 5,000 words
- reviewexceed 8 typeset pages (see 8.1). 3.1.2 Reviews Reviews should not exceed 4,000 words in length (from Introduction to Discussion/Conclusions) andmain text ≤ 4,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use
AI tools not permitted for data collection/interpretation or image production; use must be disclosed in Acknowledgements. Model summary
The use of Artificial Intelligence Generated Content tools, such as ChatGPT and others based on large language models, is not permitted for the collection or interpretation of data, and for production of images or graphical elements of a research article.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship 5.2 Authorship
5.2.1 Authorship criteria For submission, authors should meet authorship criteria defined according to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals1 (http://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf). Authors should indicate at the time of submission how each of them has contributed to the work according to the CRediT taxonomy d…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability 5.4 Data availability
Cell line authentication required for established human cell lines (STR profiling preferred, certificate not older than 3 years). Model summary
IJC requires authors to share the data and other items supporting the results in the paper that are minimally required to replicate the outcomes of the study. Therefore, a text regarding the availability of the data should be included at the end of the main text as a separate paragraph with the heading "Data Availability Statement". Large omics data sets have to be deposited to an appropriate publ…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Member of COPE; endorses COPE and ICMJE recommendations. Model summary
IJC is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and endorses the recommendations issued by COPE and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)1.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright 7.2 Copyright
The corresponding authors for the paper will receive an email prompting them to log in to Author Services; where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be able to complete the license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper. 7.2.1 For authors signing the copyright transfer agreementIf open access option (see 7.6) is not selected, the corresponding author will be presented …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access 7.5 Open Access
Open access is available to authors of articles who wish to make their article available to non-subscribers on publication, or whose funding agency requires grantees to archive the final version of their article. With open access the author, the author's funding agency, or the author's institution pays a fee (APC) to ensure that the article is made available to non-subscribers upon publication via…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 6.2 Review process
Single-anonymized peer review. Model summary
Selected papers are sent for external review to experts in the field. The review process is single-anonymized, with the authors not being aware of the identity of the reviewers. Authors are invited to suggest potential reviewers for their paper (including address and e-mail) as part of the online submission process. The authors also have the option of naming non-preferred reviewers. We aim to have…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints 5.5 Preprint servers
IJC considers for publication submissions that are posted on preprint servers. At submission, authors should provide the DOI of the preprint on the title page of the manuscript and a link to the posted article, available to reviewers and editors. No revised version should be posted on the server during the review process at IJC, and, if the manuscript is accepted, the authors must provide a link o…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines
Will not consider studies funded by tobacco companies. Model summary
IJC follows the UICC policy about tobacco control (https://www.uicc.org/what-we-do/thematic-areas-work/tobacco-control), and will not consider for publication studies funded, in whole or in part, by a tobacco company, tobacco industry or tobacco affiliated organizations.
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
- Wiley-Liss Inc.
- Country or region
- SWITZERLAND
- Language
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- ISSN
- 0020-7136
- Electronic ISSN
- 1097-0215
- Society / sponsor
- Union for International Cancer Control
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 159, Issue 10 (November 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal of Cancer
What CAS zone is International Journal of Cancer in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal of Cancer is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Oncology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of International Journal of Cancer?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.83; CiteScore 9.7, h-index 329.
How long does peer review take at International Journal of Cancer?
Based on the dates recorded on 106 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 164 days (interquartile range 120–199 days); authors report an average review time of about 1.5 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 28%”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 11% (2025). 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of International Journal of Cancer?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 3–5; Manuscript length: ≤ 5,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of International Journal of Cancer based?
Of the 7 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (6) and United States (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Journal of Cancer?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal of Cancer is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is International Journal of Cancer open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal of Cancer is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 5,030.
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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .