In case you somehow missed it—between the e-blasts, social media posts, and digital signage—this year marks the 20th year that the Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO) has been in publication. Beginning in 2006 under the leadership of James R. Jett, MD, the JTO set out to educate our community about the research and innovation surrounding lung and thoracic cancers in the IASLC’s new flagship publication.
For seven years, Dr. Jett set a precedent of excellence that would continue under the leadership of Alex A. Adjei, MD, PhD, beginning in 2013. With many wonderful editors on board, Dr. Adjei ensured the journal had a diverse group of experts heading the peer review process throughout his tenure. He and the team focused on the latest breaking research, technology, treatments, and care. Under their guidance, the journal’s impact factor rose from 1.429 in 2007 to 23.3 in 2026, a growth of more than 14 times.
As always, the highly anticipated Impact Factors of both JTO and its sister journal, JTO Clinical and Research Reports (JTO CRR), were announced earlier this summer. JTO’s came in at 23.3, continuing a pattern of excellence. JTO CRR’s Impact Factor is 3.6, further solidifying it as an impactful publication in the field. These achievements would not have been possible without the dedication of all our editors.
Throughout the year, we have been highlighting the advancements that have made this celebration so special. The JTO’s 20th Anniversary Series consists of monthly articles that chronicle different aspects of thoracic oncology. Covering everything from therapies and surgery to smoking cessation and patient advocacy, this exclusive series will run until the end of the year. Visit the collection for every article to date.
We would like to thank all of the editors who have made this significant marker possible. The JTO has had 81 Associate Editors during the past two decades, all of whom have contributed their time, energy, and expertise to the journal.
We would also like to thank the 21 JTO editors who assisted in starting the sister journal, JTO Clinical and Research Reports (JTO CRR). These editors allowed JTO CRR to hit the ground running. They worked double time as JTO and JTO CRR associate editors from 2020 to 2022 under the leadership of Dr. Alex Adjei, who served as the Editor-in-Chief for both JTO and JTO CRR during the same period. They are:
| Satoshi Ishikura, PhD | Jeffrey Bogart, MD |
| D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD | Cheryl Ho, MD |
| Thomas John, MBBS, PhD | Keith Kerr, BSc, MB, ChB |
| Shun Lu, MD, PhD | Sumithra Mandrekar, PhD |
| Luis Montuenga, PhD | Silvia Novello, MD, PhD |
| Sai-Hong Ignatius Ou, MD, PhD | Keunchil Park, MD, PhD |
| Jean-Louis Pujol, MD, PhD | Gabriella Sozzi, PhD |
| Emily Stone, MBBS, PhD | William Travis, MD |
| Shinichi Toyooka, MD | Paul Van Schil, MD, PhD |
| Graham Warren, MD, PhD | James Chih-Hsin Yang, MD, PhD |
| Yasushi Yatabe, MD, PhD |
We are excited to recognize all the editors’ accomplishments during the IASLC Awards Luncheon on Saturday, September 12. All attendees will have the opportunity to celebrate with us in the IASLC Zone with themed games and other activities throughout the conference on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The celebration will continue at the JTO 20th Anniversary Reception, which will take place from 18:15 to 19:30 on Monday, September 14, just before the IASLC’s Celebration Night.
The editorial team would like to express our utmost gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the success of the JTO during the past 20 years. Whether it has been two decades or two months, we are so thankful to each and every one of you. If you are a Reviewer, Editorial Board member, or Associate Editor, please remember to stop by the Journals Lounge in the IASLC Zone for your specialized ribbons.
JTO and JTO CRR will be running the 5th IASLC Reviewer Workshop in conjunction with WCLC on Tuesday, September 15. This year we selected 20 early- and mid-career researchers from the Asia Pacific region to train with the journal editors in reviewing manuscripts. Learn more.
JTO launched a new podcast this year, called JTO Insights. Two episodes each month in which the hosts, Drs. Adjei and John, discuss key insights from selected JTO articles with the corresponding authors. Listen on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify, or visit the podcast homepage.
