Co–Editor-in-Chief Introduction: Priorities and New Directions

Neil M. Iyengar, MD

DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE, MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER, NEW YORK, NY

DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE, WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE, NEW YORK, NY

As the new co–editor-in-chief of ONCOLOGY, I am delighted to introduce myself to you, and highlight key priorities and new directions. I am a physician-scientist who clinically subspecializes in breast cancer treatment with a research program aimed at uncovering and harnessing the oncogenic impact of metabolic health in globally diverse populations. In an era of rapid scientific advances, my primary goal in this new role is to elevate the voices of clinicians, researchers, and advocates to provide a go-to platform for knowledge dissemination and discussion. I am excited to join my esteemed colleague, Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, at the helm of ONCOLOGY to continue to expand our impact on the field and, ultimately, equip our readers to improve the lives of those affected by cancer.

To the readership, I submit 3 priorities for the coming years: First, we will continue to prioritize the submission of original research across all areas of interest within oncology. I encourage my colleagues engaged in discovery, clinical, and health services research to consider ONCOLOGY as a venue for data dissemination. As part of this priority, we encourage submissions from new and established researchers with works ranging from pilot to definitive studies. A second priority is to contextualize recently reported data for knowledge advancement, clinical implementation, and/or future study. We invite submissions of meta-analyses, literature reviews, editorials, and perspectives that help synthesize and integrate new findings with current knowledge. A third priority is to promote discussion of clinical controversies and conundrums that identify current knowledge gaps and stimulate future investigation. We invite submissions of commentaries and letters that address current or new clinical controversies generated by recently reported findings. Through this platform of iterative discussion, we aim to further propel scientific and clinical advances. Finally, a critical objective that encompasses all 3 priorities is the promotion of research and strategies to improve knowledge, care quality, access, and tailored approaches for underrepresented and underserved populations across a diversity of racial/ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, sexual orientation, and geographic groups. Only by improving the care of our most vulnerable populations will we be able to elevate public health on a global scale.

I also am excited to highlight several new directions that build upon the original mission of ONCOLOGY. First, we aim to expand the journal’s reach throughout the oncology community by providing an attractive platform for manuscript submission and by addressing topics of interest identified by the readership. We will address these goals by using an increasingly efficient peer review process that provides fair and constructive feedback. We will also solicit topics of interest from readers by having a continued presence at major scientific and professional society meetings. We aim to increase these efforts by timing the publication of manuscripts with related seminal data releases and by targeting subspecialty meetings and complementary disciplines to provide a rich extent of topics for our readers.

In this regard, another new direction is to expand our scope to include a range of multidisciplinary topics in oncology. As a translational researcher, I will take this opportunity to highlight the study of host metabolism intersections with cancer as an example of a nascent topic for expansion. A growing body of evidence indicates that cancer risk and outcomes may be improved through the optimization of metabolic health via lifestyle interventions and/or pharmacologic approaches with cardiometabolic targets. Obesity is a classic example of metabolic dysfunction that promotes at least 13 different cancers and is globally prevalent at epidemic proportions. By combining strategies such as diet, exercise, and weight-loss medications with oncologic interventions, we may be able to lessen the global burden of obesity-related cancers.

Similarly, further development of lifestyle interventions, including structured exercise and plant-forward diets, may lead to improvements in cancer outcomes in addition to improving quality of life. Indeed, current guidelines recommend regular physical activity and a diet rich in minimally processed, whole-food vegetable and fruit sources. Unfortunately, the involvement of registered dietitians and/or exercise physiologists as part of the oncology care team is limited by the lack of insurance coverage for these services. The generation of further data supporting the benefits and health care cost savings associated with lifestyle interventions could propel third-party reimbursement and ultimately improve the quality of care and cancer outcomes on a much larger scale. We will strive to provide a platform for the publication of data from multidisciplinary fields, such as exercise oncology, that could be adopted in clinical practice at the systems, provider, and/or patient level.

The pace of scientific discovery is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, and it is an exciting time to be a clinician and researcher in oncology and its related fields. Vose, the ONCOLOGY staff, and I are committed to providing a reliable and consistent resource to disseminate new advances and share how these advances can be integrated into clinical practice. I hope to hear from you, our readers, as we continue in this partnership to improve the lives of all those affected by cancer.