Journal profile · Oncology
Medical Oncology
ISSN 1357-0560 · eISSN 1559-131X · Springer US · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 1984
Medical Oncology: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.64; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,290; median 96 days to acceptance (109 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 63.33%; 624 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Medical Oncology is published by Springer US and is in Zone 4 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research, Lung Cancer Treatments and Mutations and MicroRNA in disease regulation, together about 17.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Cancer Research and Oncology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Medical Oncology (MO) communicates the results of clinical and experimental research in oncology and hematology, particularly experimental therapeutics within the fields of immunotherapy and chemotherapy. It also provides state-of-the-art reviews on clinical and experimental therapies. Topics covered include immunobiology, pathogenesis, and treatment of malignant tumors.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Oncology
Editor-in-chief Liang DongPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 5 in mainland China (about 26%); most named United States 9, Mainland China 5, United Kingdom 2, Italy 1, Sweden 1 (19 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Cancer-related molecular mechanisms researchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.8%
- Lung Cancer Treatments and MutationsMedicine5.8%
- MicroRNA in disease regulationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.7%
- RNA modifications and cancerBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.6%
- Lymphoma Diagnosis and TreatmentMedicine5.5%
- Lung Cancer Research StudiesMedicine4.4%
- Cancer, Hypoxia, and MetabolismBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.4%
- Cancer-related Molecular PathwaysMedicine4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Oncology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Oncology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Oncology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEEmbaseCASCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, Semantic Scholar
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
- 4.64LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.96LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.87LetPub ·
- h-index
- 64LetPub ·
- h-index
- 111OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,458OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.66OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 14.25%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 596LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,200,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,005 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 195 | 57 | 70 |
| 2025 | 624 | 112 | 2,705 |
| 2024 | 307 | 66 | 2,469 |
| 2023 | 330 | 60 | 4,484 |
| 2022 | 312 | 72 | 4,688 |
| 2021 | 163 | 42 | 2,868 |
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
96 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 72 days – 143 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 20 days (109 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 114 days
- Sample
- 109 articles with submission and acceptance dates (909 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 1.4 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 63.33%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 4,290 / EUR 3,290 / GBP 2,790 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
- Not considered
- Case Reports; Retrospective Reviews
Article types accepted12, with length limits
- case reportImportant Note: The submitting author must use an institutional email address. Where the submitting author does not have access to an institutional email addres…Length not stated
- editorialImportant Note: The submitting author must use an institutional email address. Where the submitting author does not have access to an institutional email addres…Length not stated
- letterImportant Note: The submitting author must use an institutional email address. Where the submitting author does not have access to an institutional email addres…Length not stated
- letters to the editorImportant Note: The submitting author must use an institutional email address. Where the submitting author does not have access to an institutional email addres…Length not stated
- meta-analysisImportant Note: The submitting author must use an institutional email address. Where the submitting author does not have access to an institutional email addres…Length not stated
- original articleImportant Note: The submitting author must use an institutional email address. Where the submitting author does not have access to an institutional email addres…main text ≤ 5,000 words
- original researchImportant Note: The submitting author must use an institutional email address. Where the submitting author does not have access to an institutional email addres…Length not stated
- original research articleImportant Note: The submitting author must use an institutional email address. Where the submitting author does not have access to an institutional email addres…Length not stated
- perspectiveImportant Note: The submitting author must use an institutional email address. Where the submitting author does not have access to an institutional email addres…Length not stated
- reviewImportant Note: The submitting author must use an institutional email address. Where the submitting author does not have access to an institutional email addres…Length not stated
- review articlewords, 20 references, 2 figures/tables Review articles: word limit 10000 words, 100 references, 10 figures To support the suitability of tmain text ≤ 10,000 words
- systematic reviewImportant Note: The submitting author must use an institutional email address. Where the submitting author does not have access to an institutional email addres…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Availability
This journal encourages authors to provide an optional statement of data availability in their article. Data Availability Statements should include information on where data supporting the results reported in the article can be found, including, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Data availability statements can also indicate whether …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Medical Oncology, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer US
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1984
- ISSN
- 1357-0560
- Electronic ISSN
- 1559-131X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Medical Oncology
What CAS zone is Medical Oncology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Medical Oncology is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Oncology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Medical Oncology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.64; CiteScore 5.9, h-index 111.
How long does peer review take at Medical Oncology?
Based on the dates recorded on 109 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 96 days (interquartile range 72–143 days); authors report an average review time of about 1.4 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 63.33%”. 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 Medical Oncology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Suggested reviewers: 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 Medical Oncology based?
Of the 19 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 5 (about 26%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (9), Mainland China (5) and United Kingdom (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Medical Oncology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Medical Oncology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, CAS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Medical Oncology open access, and what is the APC?
Medical Oncology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,290.
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: .