A Look Behind the Curtain: What Is The RadOnc Review?

It is with great honor and genuine excitement that we welcome you to the first edition of The Rad Onc Review, a quarterly publication from CancerNetwork and the journal ONCOLOGY dedicated to advancing the science, practice, and community of radiation oncology.

Radiation therapy remains one of the most essential tools in the modern oncologic armamentarium, used in an estimated 50% of cancer care pathways across disease types.^1-3 The RadOnc Review aims to serve as a high-impact platform dedicated solely to synthesizing current science, clinical innovation, practice insights, and multidisciplinary perspectives tailored for radiation oncology specialists.

Supported by the breadth of expertise across CancerNetwork and ONCOLOGY, this supplement is conceived as a PubMed-indexed, peer-reviewed resource that brings rigor, relevance, and real-world applicability to the work we do with our patients. We are now accepting all major manuscript types, from original research and clinical briefs to expert perspectives, consensus statements, and educational reviews. Advancing our field requires contribution from the full spectrum of thoughtful inquiry and experience.

Why Radiation Oncology, and Why Now?

The year 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal one for radiation oncology. In recent months, the oncology landscape has reflected both remarkable innovation and evolving challenges that underscore the importance of a focused editorial venue like The RadOnc Review:

• Technological evolution: From refined dose delivery and imaging integration to surface-guided therapies and real-time motion management, radiation therapy tools are becoming increasingly sophisticated. These advances promise greater precision and potentially fewer adverse effects for patients, while also increasing complexity for clinicians.

• Multidisciplinary integration: The integration of radiation therapy into multidisciplinary care pathways continues to expand, aligning therapeutic strategies across surgery, systemic therapy, and radiation.

• Reimbursement shifts: Ongoing changes in reimbursement policy and practice economics, including evolving Medicare rules that may affect physician payment structures, are creating uncertainty and motivating deeper conversation about sustainability and advocacy in our field.

• Artificial intelligence (AI) and personalized care: AI is rapidly entering clinical workflows, from automated contouring and treatment planning models to multimodal decision-support systems, that promise to enhance personalization and efficiency.

• Emerging biological integration: Efforts to marry radiotherapy with genomic insights and theranostics are gaining traction, potentially refining dose selection and therapeutic targeting in ways we could not have imagined a decade ago.

These trends, among many others, point to a field in motion. Radiation oncology stands at a crossroads of technological promise, clinical complexity, and an expanding role within comprehensive cancer care. Practitioners, researchers, and trainees alike need timely, evidence-based, and context-rich content to navigate these shifts with confidence.

Our Mission and Vision

The RadOnc Review exists to serve several imperatives:

Amplify scholarship: Provide a dedicated, peer-reviewed space where the best radiation oncology research can be disseminated, critiqued, and built upon.

Translate innovation: Curate and interpret emerging technologies, practical strategies, and real-world clinical insights that help practitioners apply advances safely and thoughtfully.

Foster dialogue: Offer perspectives from multidisciplinary thought leaders, including clinicians, physicists, allied health professionals, and patient advocates, to enrich how we understand and deliver radiation therapy.

Connect community: Build a scholarly home where early-career investigators and seasoned experts alike contribute to a shared body of knowledge that elevates the entire field.

We envision The RadOnc Review as a catalyst, reflecting trends in radiation oncology and helping to shape its future.

What You’ll Find in This Issue

In this first edition, readers will encounter a thoughtfully curated set of contributions that exemplify the publication’s mission:

• Original research examining nuanced clinical outcomes across radiation modalities.

• Expert perspectives from leaders in the field regarding quality-of-care frameworks.

• Case studies from real-world practice on managing radiation-associated adverse effects.

These selections intentionally span formats and topics to underscore that radiation oncology is not monolithic; it is multifaceted, dynamic, and deeply interconnected with broader oncology practice.

A Call to the Radiation Oncology Community

As we release this inaugural edition, we extend a heartfelt invitation to you, our colleagues on the front lines of cancer care and discovery:

• Submit your work, whether it’s original research, a provocative perspective, or a case-based innovation. All manuscript types are welcomed and encouraged.

• Engage with the content, read critically, question assumptions, and share insights with your teams.

• Connect with peers through discourse that extends beyond the page, in meetings, academic centers, and clinical rounds.

Our field thrives when knowledge is shared, challenged, and iterated upon. The RadOnc Review aspires to be not just a repository of information but a forum for growth, reflection, and progress.

In Closing

We live and work in a time of remarkable change: technological, clinical, and humanistic. Radiation oncology, at its best, combines the art of healing with the precision of science. With every fraction delivered, with every study conceptualized, with every guideline refined, we reinforce our shared commitment to patients and to one another.

Thank you for joining us on this journey. Your curiosity, rigor, and compassion are the collective force that propels our field forward. We look forward to sharing this space with you, and to the discoveries, challenges, and conversations that lie ahead.

Here’s to the first of many editions, and to the vibrant evolution of radiation oncology excellence.

References

1. Baskar R, Lee KA, Yeo R, Yeoh KW. Cancer and radiation therapy: current advances and future directions.Int J Med Sci. 2012;9(3):193-199. doi:10.7150/ijms.3635

2. Delaney G, Jacob S, Featherstone C, Barton M. The role of radiotherapy in cancer treatment: estimating optimal utilization from a review of evidence-based clinical guidelines.Cancer. 2005;104(6):1129-1137. doi:10.1002/cncr.21324

3. Begg AC, Stewart FA, Vens C. Strategies to improve radiotherapy with targeted drugs. Nat Rev Cancer. 2011;11(4):239-253. doi:10.1038/nrc3007