Cancer Research and Treatment (CRT) was founded in 1966 and proudly marks its 60th anniversary this year. In Korea, reaching one’s 60th birthday—known as Hwangap—has long been celebrated with great reverence. Traditional Asian calendars operate on the sexagenary cycle, a 60-year combined system comprising the 10 Heavenly Stems and the 12 Earthly Branches. In Eastern philosophy, this 60th milestone holds profound significance, marking the completion of one full cosmic cycle and a return to one’s beginning. In the past, when healthcare systems were rudimentary, living past the age of 60 was a rare symbol of longevity. However, longevity does not merely imply long-term survival; rather, it represents a steadfast and wise triumph over the countless difficulties and adversities encountered throughout life. It is a testament not only to institutional resilience but also to the wealth of experience, wisdom, and integrity accumulated over decades. Today, with a vastly improved healthcare environment, celebrating a 60th anniversary signifies both a blessing for past resilience and an inspiring launchpad for a new beginning. Commemorating CRT’s 60th anniversary, much like celebrating a person’s Hwangap, epitomizes the accumulation of vast experience and wisdom garnered by overcoming numerous challenges over the decades. Furthermore, it heralds a promising new era for future advancements.
The mission of an academic journal is the timely and widespread dissemination of new knowledge, scholarly discoveries, and clinical experiences. A recent bibliographic analysis of CRT provides deep insights into the journal’s six-decade journey [1]. The report highlights a dramatic surge in manuscript submissions since 2013, the milestone year when CRT was indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE). Amid this rapid growth, CRT has continuously embraced a broad spectrum of oncology topics—ranging from basic and translational to clinical research—while adaptively reflecting evolving research trends, such as the rise of multi-institutional collaborations and prospective trials.
There are several methods to objectively evaluate a journal’s performance, among which the Journal Impact Factor (JIF), managed by Clarivate, has long been the most widely recognized metric. Fundamentally, the JIF represents the average number of citations received per citable item published during the preceding 2 years. In 2013, CRT achieved a major milestone by being listed for the first time as an SCIE journal with an initial JIF of 1.962 (for the year 2012) (Fig. 1) [2]. Since then, the number of manuscript submissions to CRT has increased dramatically every year. While maintaining a selective acceptance rate, the absolute volume of annually published papers naturally expanded considerably compared to the past. Although having reached a historic peak JIF of 5.036 in 2022 (for the year 2021), CRT’s JIF experienced fluctuations over the years until now. This volatility was shaped not only by our internal baseline numbers and acceptance rates, but also by systemic shifts, including the widespread adoption of open-access models and intensifying competition among international oncology journals. Moreover, the JIF calculation methodology underwent a critical structural change starting in 2023: Clarivate began restricting the citation window strictly to a 2-year period triggered from the ‘early access’ date, regardless of the final volume or issue publication date. Due to this tightening of the denominator timeline, the JIF of most global journals experienced a widespread decline, and CRT was not immune to this trend, seeing its JIF adjust downward to 3.8 in 2025 (for the year 2024). However, the newly released JIF in June 2026 brought encouraging news, with CRT rallying back to 4.2 (for the year 2025). This reversal, turning a downward trajectory into an upward momentum, might be a sign of future hope. The CRT editorial team must demonstrate greater enthusiasm to strategically adapt to the changing bibliometric environment and foster the continued growth of CRT in the future. This is especially important amidst fierce global competition. Specifically, CRT needs to institute more rigorous peer-review criteria and enthusiastically commission high-impact review articles covering highly timely topics from leading authors. CRT should masterfully navigate as it embarks on its next challenging historic cycle.
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Conflicts of Interest
Conflict of interest relevant to this article was not reported.
Fig. 1.Trends of the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) and its percentile of Cancer Research and Treatment (CRT). JCR, Journal Citation Reports.
REFERENCES
- 1. Lee CK, Choo JM, Ahn YC, Kim J, Rha SY, Rim CH, et al. Identifying trends in oncology research through a bibliographic analysis of Cancer Research and Treatment. Cancer Res Treat. 2025;57:11–8. ArticlePubMedPDF
- 2. Journal Citation Reports [Internet]. Clarivate; 2026 [cited 2026 Jun 22]. Available from: https://jcr.clarivate.com
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