We are happy to announce that Hormones and Cancer received its first Impact Factor this year. Much to our dismay, an impact factor of 0.019 was reported initially, but this number was a major miscalculation. At our request, Reuters recalculated the impact factor and concluded that the correct figure was 2.153. A correction notice was quickly issued (http://admin-apps.webofknowledge.com/JCR/static_html/notices/notices.htm) and we have used the correct number in our advertising and on our websites. However, Reuters does not make corrections to the original announcement/list until September. This has generated some confusion and questions from prospective authors. The rankings should be corrected by the time this issue is in print (http://admin-apps.webofknowledge.com/JCR/JCR).
I am very pleased with the progress of the journal. The impact factor (based on citations of 2012–2013 articles) is a solid start for a new journal and monthly submissions are up 50 % this year relative to last year and preceding years. I look forward to increasing the prominence and impact of Hormones and Cancer. In this issue, we are adding a brief precis summarizing the main findings of each article in an expanded table of contents, which can be found on the Endocrine Society Hormones and Cancer web site (http://press.endocrine.org/hoca).
Next year, 2016, is the Centennial year for the Endocrine Society and there will be special themed articles in the journals to highlight various areas of endocrinology. Because Hormones and Cancer is published bi-monthly, two themes will be included in the issue. The monthly themes for the year frequently align with existing health initiatives and are as follows:
January: Thyroid
February: Adrenal, and Cardiovascular
March: Obesity
April: Hormone Awareness Month
May: Bone
June: Men’s Health
July: Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)
August: Pediatric Endocrinology/Growth Issues
September: Women’s Health
October: Hormones and Cancer
November: Diabetes
December: Aging and the Endocrine System
The themes reflect the broad range of endocrinology and endocrine pathologies. Hormones and Cancer is the specific focus for October, but aspects of all of the other topics are relevant to the content of Hormones and Cancer. Whereas many of the topics include specific endocrine neoplasias or hormone responsive tumors, others relate to risk and prevention. Focus on thyroid (January) encompasses thyroid cancer and the focus on adrenal/cardiovascular (February) includes adrenal cancer. March will be a focus on obesity, which is a risk factor for a number of cancers, and April is hormone awareness month. Although it is well established that breast and prostate cancer are hormone responsive, a number of other tumors exhibit gender differences in risk and there is evidence that steroid hormones are active in these tissues and tumors.
May’s focus is bone. Bone metastases are a major challenge in the treatment of a number of cancers causing significant morbidity and mortality. In addition, estrogen and androgen contribute to the development and maintenance of healthy bone. Thus, one of the side effects of estrogen ablation or androgen ablation therapy, the most common non-surgical therapies for estrogen receptor positive breast cancer and for prostate cancer, respectively, is reduced bone density. June is men’s health month; prostate cancer is the most common non-cutaneous cancer in American men and the second most frequent cause of death from cancer in men. July’s theme is endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which are a topic of much discussion in risk for breast and prostate cancer. Familial cancers fall within the August theme of pediatric endocrinology/growth disorders.
The theme for September is women’s health; October is breast cancer awareness month with a general focus on breast cancer. Hormone therapy and the risk of breast cancer, breast cancer, and female reproductive tract cancers are relevant to the themes for both months. November is Diabetes awareness month; diabetes has been associated with increased risk for some cancers. In addition, metformin, an antidiabetic drug, is undergoing clinical trials in a variety of cancers, both for prevention and as a treatment in combination with standard of care treatments. Finally, December’s focus is aging and the endocrine system. Age is a significant risk factor in a number of cancers including prostate cancer. While much of the increased risk is presumably a result of the accumulation of mutations, changes in endocrine systems and/or some treatments that restore hormone levels also can contribute to risk. For example, some forms of hormone replacement therapy have been associated with increased risk for breast cancer.
We anticipate that portions of each issue will be devoted to the Centennial themes, but the remainder of the issue will be filled with original articles/reviews on any of the subjects typically covered by the journal. We plan to publish reviews related to the monthly themes and we encourage authors to submit original research articles that fit these themes as well as articles on any other aspects of endocrine neoplasias and hormone responsive cancers.
Anyone who would like more information about the Centennial theme in Hormones and Cancer, or who is interested in publishing any themed manuscripts, may contact me at nweigel@endocrine.org and copy HOCA@endocrine.org. Of course, you may submit research manuscripts on these themes without emailing us first, at http://www.editorialmanager.com/hoca/. For inclusion in the specific issues above, please try to submit a manuscript for review at least 5 months prior to the month in which your topic will be showcased.