Lancet Oncology Impact Factor 2024: 35.9 | Acceptance Rate & Submission Guide

Lancet Oncology is the highest-prestige dedicated oncology journal in the Lancet portfolio, with an IF of 35.9 in 2024. It sits second in clinical oncology behind JCO, but differs meaningfully in editorial philosophy. Understanding that difference determines whether your paper belongs here or at JCO.

Impact factor trend

The 2021 peak reflects high citation of COVID-19 and oncology papers published during the pandemic. The normalization to 35.9 is consistent with patterns across clinical journals and doesn't represent a change in editorial quality or selectivity.

What Lancet Oncology requires beyond clinical significance

The Lancet Oncology test, in its own words: will oncologists change how they treat patients after reading your paper? The key addition: that change should matter globally, not just in high-income country settings.

This global requirement is where Lancet Oncology and JCO most visibly differ. A phase 3 trial conducted in US academic cancer centers with results applicable primarily to US practice is a stronger fit for JCO. The same trial with international recruitment, or with explicit analysis of how findings apply in resource-limited settings, becomes a Lancet Oncology paper.

Lancet Oncology also publishes more health policy and cancer control content than JCO: research on cancer screening access, treatment disparities, or healthcare systems in oncology.

Acceptance rate and editorial funnel

• Desk rejection: ~60-65% of all submissions
• External review: ~20-25%
• Acceptance: ~8% of all submissions

Lancet Oncology's desk rejection rate is higher than JCO's. The combination of strict global significance requirements and Lancet's conservative desk review results in more papers cut before external review.

For papers that reach external review, acceptance is around 30-35%. Getting past the Lancet Oncology desk is the major hurdle.

Review timeline

The Lancet Oncology vs. JCO: choosing the right target

Submit to Lancet Oncology if:

• Your trial has international recruitment across multiple countries
• Your study addresses a cancer type or treatment modality with high burden in low- and middle-income countries
• Your paper is primarily a cancer policy, health equity, or global burden analysis
• The Lancet brand carries more weight in your clinical community than ASCO/JCO

Submit to JCO if:

• Your trial is primarily conducted in US academic centers
• Your paper's practice implications are most directly relevant to US oncology guidelines
• Your study is being presented at ASCO Annual Meeting (JCO frequently fast-tracks ASCO presentations)
• You need faster first-decision turnaround for a time-sensitive publication

For the majority of multinational oncology trials, both journals are reasonable first targets. Submit to Lancet Oncology first if global framing is natural; JCO first if the ASCO community is your primary audience.

APC and open access

Lancet Oncology is primarily a subscription journal. Open access is available through an APC of approximately $5,200 USD. Elsevier significant agreements at many institutions may cover this cost. Papers become freely available after 12 months under standard subscription access.

Practical submission checklist

• [ ] Global applicability explicitly addressed in cover letter and discussion
• [ ] Study population representative beyond single-country or single-institution setting
• [ ] CONSORT or STROBE checklist completed
• [ ] Trial registration documented for interventional studies
• [ ] Primary endpoint has direct clinical practice implications
• [ ] Health equity or LMICs relevance addressed if applicable
• [ ] Statistical analysis plan documented
• [ ] Competing interests declared (especially industry relationships in oncology)
• [ ] Data sharing statement with specific access instructions

Sources and further reading

Impact factor data from Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (released June 2025). For submission guidelines, see the Lancet Oncology author information00462-6/fulltext).

See our full Lancet Oncology journal guide for editorial scope and submission requirements. For manuscript preparation, see our avoid desk rejection service.

• JCO impact factor guide: IF 41.2, the other top clinical oncology journal
• The Lancet impact factor guide: IF 88.5, the parent journal
• JAMA Oncology impact factor guide: IF 20.1, third in clinical oncology
• Nature Medicine impact factor guide: IF 50.0, for translational oncology papers

How Lancet Oncology Compares to Peer Journals

Lancet Oncology and Annals of Oncology are essentially tied on IF, but they serve different author communities. Lancet Oncology is a UK-based journal with global scope and particularly strong representation of European and international clinical trial data. Annals of Oncology is the flagship of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) with similar IF but heavier representation of ESMO-presented data.

For US-based researchers, JCO remains the primary target for clinical oncology. For authors with landmark international trial data or practice-changing findings, Lancet Oncology is a top-tier choice with global reach.

What Gets Published in Lancet Oncology

The papers that make it through at Lancet Oncology share common features: they're practice-changing or practice-informing, they involve large enough patient populations to draw generalizable conclusions, and they're framed around clinical outcomes rather than mechanistic biology.

Phase III randomized trials reporting overall survival or progression-free survival data are the core content of Lancet Oncology. Phase II trials are accepted when they're in rare cancers where randomization is impractical, or when the effect size is large enough to be practice-informing on its own.

Translational work , biomarker studies, predictive factor analyses , is accepted when it's embedded in a large, well-characterized clinical dataset and the findings directly inform patient selection or treatment decisions.

Submission and Desk Rejection at Lancet Oncology

The desk rejection rate at Lancet Oncology is high , around 80-85% of submissions don't proceed to peer review. The desk decision typically comes within one to two weeks.

The most common reasons for desk rejection:

• Phase II data from small single-arm studies without a clear practice-changing finding
• Translational or biomarker analyses without a large, prospective clinical dataset
• Studies in rare populations that don't generalize to broader practice
• Scope overlap with other Lancet journals (some papers belong in The Lancet rather than Lancet Oncology)

The cover letter should address the clinical practice implications directly. Editors at Lancet Oncology want to know which patients this affects and how their treatment should change as a result.

The Right Alternative When Lancet Oncology Isn't the Fit

If your paper is strong clinical oncology work but doesn't meet Lancet Oncology's bar for practice-changing evidence, JAMA Oncology (IF 20.1) or JCO (IF 20.1) are the natural next targets. Both accept slightly earlier-phase data and translational work tied to well-characterized clinical cohorts.

Annals of Oncology (IF 65.4) is worth considering for European cohort data or ESMO-affiliated trial data , it has a comparable IF and a slightly faster review process for work that fits its European oncology focus.

The Bottom Line

Lancet Oncology at 35.9 is selective and specific: it publishes clinical findings that change practice in oncology. The ~8% acceptance rate means the desk rejection is fast and the reasons are usually the same ones. Before you submit, make sure your paper frames its clinical implications as clearly as it reports its data.

See also

• Lancet Impact Factor 2026
• Journal of Clinical Oncology Impact Factor
• Cancer Cell Review Time