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Nature Cancer

Nature Cancer is a cancer research journal publishing Articles, Review Articles, Perspectives, News & Views, Research Briefings, News Features, Editorials and other content across cancer biology, clinical oncology, immunotherapy, diagnostics and related fields.

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Subject Oncology
Impact Factor 28.5
Quartile Q1
Open Access Type Hybrid
eISSN 2662-1347
Invitation Only No
Cost Range Some non-primary article types are not eligible for Open Access and can only be published using the subscription-based publishing route.

Submission Instructions

Nature Cancer accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.

Article

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain the importance of the work, why it is appropriate for the diverse readership of Nature Cancer, and whether there have been prior discussions with a Nature Cancer editor about the work.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must be up to 150 words. Abstract must be unstructured and unreferenced.
Manuscript Main text must be up to 4,000 words excluding the abstract, Methods, references and figure legends. Article must be divided into an unheaded Introduction, Results, Discussion, and Online Methods, with topical subheadings in Results and Methods but no subheadings in Discussion. Manuscript must include Methods, figures, Extended Data if applicable, a reference list, names and affiliations of all co-authors unless double-blind peer review is chosen, and documentation of any large language model use in the Methods section or another suitable part of the manuscript.
References References are typically recommended up to 60.
Figures & Tables Display items must total 5–8 figures and/or tables, and a maximum of ten Extended Data display items is permitted.
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Analysis

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain the importance of the work, its suitability for Nature Cancer’s diverse readership, and whether there were prior discussions with a Nature Cancer editor.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must be 150 words. Abstract must be unstructured and unreferenced.
Manuscript Main text must be up to 4,000 words, excluding abstract, online Methods, references and figure legends. Manuscript must be divided into an Introduction without a heading, Results, Discussion, and Methods, with topical subheadings in the Results and online Methods and no subheadings in the Discussion. Use of a large language model must be documented in the Methods section or, if no Methods section is available, in a suitable alternative part of the manuscript.
References References are typically recommended up to 60.
Figures & Tables Display items must total 5–8 figures and/or tables.
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Review

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain the importance of the work, why it is appropriate for the diverse readership of Nature Cancer, and whether there have been prior discussions with a Nature Cancer editor about the work.
Abstract Abstract requirements are not specified.
Manuscript Main text must be 3,500-6,000 words. Review articles must not include original previously unpublished research findings or new research data. Manuscript file must include methods if applicable, figures and Extended Data if applicable, a reference list, and documentation of any large language model use in the Methods section or another suitable part of the manuscript if no Methods section is available.
References References are generally limited to 150 or about 25 references per 1,000 words.
Figures & Tables Display items, including figures, tables, and boxes, must total 4-6 items. A maximum of ten Extended Data display items is permitted.
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Brief Communication

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain the importance of the work, why it suits the diverse readership of Nature Cancer, and whether there have been any prior discussions with a Nature Cancer editor about the work.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must be no more than 70 words and limited to 3 sentences. Abstract must be unstructured and unreferenced.
Manuscript Main text must be 1,000-1,500 words including the abstract, references, and figure legends. Manuscript must include a Methods section and contain no headings in the main text. Use of a large language model must be documented in the Methods section or, if no Methods section is available, in a suitable alternative part of the manuscript.
References References are typically recommended up to 20. Article titles must be omitted from the reference list.
Figures & Tables Display items must be limited to 2, although this may be flexible at the editor's discretion if the page limit is observed.
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Resource

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain the importance of the work, why it is appropriate for the diverse readership of Nature Cancer, and whether there have been prior discussions with a Nature Cancer editor about the work.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must be 150 words. Abstract must be unstructured.
Manuscript Main text must be up to 4,000 words excluding abstract, online Methods, references, and figure legends. Manuscript must be divided into Introduction without a heading, Results, Discussion, and Methods, with Results and Methods divided by topical subheadings and Discussion containing no subheadings. Methods, figures, and Extended Data must be included in the manuscript file if applicable, and any use of a large language model must be documented in the Methods section or a suitable alternative part of the manuscript.
References References are typically recommended up to 60. Abstract must be unreferenced.
Figures & Tables Display items must total 5–8 figures and/or tables, and a maximum of ten Extended Data display items is permitted.
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Correspondence

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain the importance of the work, why it is appropriate for the diverse readership of Nature Cancer, and whether there have been any prior discussions with a Nature Cancer editor about the work described in the manuscript.
Abstract Abstract requirements are not specified.
Manuscript Correspondence must be 300–800 words. Use of a large language model must be documented in the Methods section or, if no Methods section is available, in a suitable alternative part of the manuscript.
References References are limited to 10. Reference list entries must omit article titles.
Figures & Tables Display items are limited to 1.
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Recent Publications

Dual targeting of PI3Kγ and STING overcomes regulatory B cell- and myeloid cell-driven immune suppression in pancreatic cancer

Chengyi Li, Fang Ke, Hongyi Zhao, Shuai Mao, Mahamadou Djibo, Linqi Huang, Miao He, Meilin Wang, Hanning Wen, Zhongwei Liu, Zhixin Yu, Zhihong Qi, Ana R. Xavier, Minal Nenwani, Bo Wen, Nicole Peterson, Vaibhav Sahai, Deepak Nagrath, Carrie L. Lucas, Matthias P. Wymann, Wei Gao, Lawrence Fong, Duxin Sun

10.1038/s43018-026-01158-7
View Publication

Artificial intelligence model boosts lung nodule diagnostic accuracy in clinical trial

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10.1038/s43018-026-01148-9
View Publication

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition as a central driver of tumor cell plasticity

Raul Jimenez-Castaño, M. Angela Nieto

10.1038/s43018-026-01154-x
View Publication

Oncolytic viruses and cytokine-based gene therapies reprogram the tumor microenvironment

Joshua D. Bernstock, Lennard Spanehl, E. Antonio Chiocca

10.1038/s43018-026-01153-y
View Publication

New payloads drive next-gen antibody–drug conjugates

Melanie Senior

10.1038/s43018-026-01152-z
View Publication

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to publish?

Research articles are published as soon as they are ready and can appear online weeks before assignment to a specific issue.

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Is a cover letter required?

Reviews and Perspectives are typically invited by the editors, and a presubmission enquiry including a synopsis is advisable before preparing a manuscript for formal submission.

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What are the publication costs?

Some non-primary article types are not eligible for Open Access and can only be published using the subscription-based publishing route.

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Research Topics

Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics CAR-T cell therapy research Immunotherapy and Immune Responses Immune Cell Function and Interaction Epigenetics and DNA Methylation Immune cells in cancer Cancer Cells and Metastasis RNA modifications and cancer Lung Cancer Treatments and Mutations Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics Cancer, Hypoxia, and Metabolism Pancreatic and Hepatic Oncology Research Glioma Diagnosis and Treatment Protein Degradation and Inhibitors Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research T-cell and B-cell Immunology Ferroptosis and cancer prognosis Radiomics and Machine Learning in Medical Imaging AI in cancer detection Cancer Research and Treatments Lung Cancer Research Studies PARP inhibition in cancer therapy Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research DNA Repair Mechanisms

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