By Caroline Hopkins, ASCO Publishing

ASCO’s online journal JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics (JCO CCI) publishes clinically relevant research on biomedical informatics methods and processes applied to cancer-related data, information, and images. Its recent and upcoming collections zero in on challenges and advances in biomedical informatics studies relevant to cancer treatment, care delivery, outcomes, and prevention.

Digital Health

JCO CCI’s Digital Health Collection, published in June, contributes the latest data on topics such as wearable sensors, activity trackers, apps, telehealth, smartphone platforms, patient-reported outcomes, and specific needs for geriatric and adolescent/young adult populations. The Digital Health Collection addresses the education and clinical integration necessary for these technologies to work. “Health care is on the brink of remarkable change, and the foundation of this change is rooted in the digital universe—everything from the Internet of Things to computing, big data, and more. Hand in hand with these capabilities is the growing ability for health care personalization and the rise in consumerism as an industry force,” said Adam P. Dicker, MD, PhD, FASTRO. Dr. Dicker served as the collection’s associate editor alongside guest editor Heather S. Jim, PhD.

Decision Making

As advances in technology provide us with more information than ever, decision making in oncology is becoming more complex. This collection provides insight into a variety of decision-making topics, with the goal of sensitizing readers to the wide range of challenges and provoking a more active involvement in these fields. “Decision making extends beyond treatment selection in oncology,” said Paul-Martin Putora, MD, PhD, the Decision Making Collection’s associate editor. “With the Decision Making Collection, we hope to spark interest in this multi-professional field.” The new collection will publish in fall 2018.

Mathmatical Oncology

JCO CCI’s Mathematical Oncology Collection will highlight the scope of a relatively new field, applying mathematics to the study of cancer. The collection is organized into themes: imaging, cancer evolution, immuno-oncology, treatment for modeling and optimization, theoretical cancer biology, and evolutionary game theory. Each theme will focus closely on clinical applications. Guest editors for the collection, which will publish in winter 2018, include Russel Rockne, PhD, and Jacob Scott, MD, DPhil.