• Cancer of unknown primary

We are excited to launch BMJ’s newest specialty journal, BMJ Oncology (https://bmjoncology.bmj.com), an online-only, open-access journal dedicated to publishing the highest quality papers across the broad spectrum of oncology.

We are on the brink of an explosion of ideas as scientific innovations merge with treatment advances. Never has there been more technology, cross-fertilisation within disciplines and free-thinking to enrich cancer research. What better time to launch a new journal? BMJ Oncology will capture the breadth of translational medicine, clinical endeavour, policy and opinion across the whole of specialty. There are increasing multidisciplinary team collaborations between physics, engineering, mathematics, biology, imaging, and surgical and non-surgical specialties leading to practice-enhancing developments. With a dynamic cross-disciplinary editorial board filled with enthusiastic world-leading expertise, we will attract the very best in team science. The world is so much smaller than it used to be. Global oncology shares many of the same challenges regardless of the underlying healthcare system. Our journal will reflect this with an international outreach providing insights across the world, aided by a proactive social media strategy. We aspire to be one of the leading general oncology journals within the next 5 years.

Our aim is to provide excellent service to authors through rigorous peer review, rapid and continuous online publication, wide reach, and international readership. The journal will publish a range of article types—original research, indepth reviews and editorials—supported by an interactive website and social media activity to bring our content to those who need it.

BMJ Oncology will uphold the same high editorial and production standards as the rest of the BMJ portfolio, benefiting from close alignment with renowned general medical titles (The BMJ, BMJ Medicine and BMJ Open) and specialist clinical journals such as Gut, Thorax, Journal of Clinical Pathology, International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care and many more. Authors who submit oncology papers to other BMJ journals which are then rejected may choose to have their manuscript seamlessly transferred to BMJ Oncology, along with any reviews already obtained. This will save authors time and effort in not having to resubmit to an alternative journal and ensure editorial decisions are made as quickly as possible.

In common with all BMJ journals, BMJ Oncology encourages active patient and public involvement (PPI) in clinical research as part of BMJ’s patient and public partnership strategy—an area of growing importance in cancer research. To support coproduction of research, authors are asked to provide a PPI statement in the Methods section, detailing how patients and/or the public were involved in the design and conduct of the study and how they are involved in plans to disseminate the study results to participants and relevant wider patient communities. Other important policies relating to areas such as patient confidentiality and consent, data sharing, and preprints can be found in the Instructions for Authors.

As the editorial team of BMJ Oncology, we encourage you to engage with the journal—whether as an author, reader, reviewer or editorial board member (or more than one of these). Please contact us with your ideas and feedback as BMJ Oncology develops over the coming months and years. You can email the editorial office directly (info.bmjoncology@bmj.com), or if you wish to comment on a published article submit a ‘Rapid Response’ (click the ‘Response’ tab on the article page and follow the instructions). We look forward to your active involvement with BMJ Oncology as we embark on this exciting journey.