Journal of Urologic Oncology is Embarking on a Journey to a Global Audience
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The Journal of Urologic Oncology (JUO) is taking its first steps toward the wider world!
JUO is the official journal of the Korean Urological Oncology Society (KUOS) and is an international peer-reviewed journal. The KUOS started as the “Urological Cancer Research Group” in 1988 and started official academic activities as the KUOS in 1991. For the past 30 years, the hard work and dedication of past presidents, executive directors, directors, committee members, and various members have served as the basis for our society to make rapid progress despite challenges and to become the leading community in the field of urology. The former Korean Journal of Urological Oncology, which published its first issue in 2003, is being reborn as JUO in celebration of its 20th anniversary. We will leverage the capabilities of all members so that both domestic and international researchers can submit excellent papers, and we hope that JUO will be listed in Science Citation Index Expanded in the near future.
JUO will publish practical, timely, and relevant clinical and basic science research articles addressing all aspects of urologic oncology, especially 3 primary urinary cancers: prostate, kidney, and bladder. JUO is of interest to urologists, oncologists, radiologists, clinicians treating patients, and those involved in research into diseases of urologic oncology. Every issue of JUO will focus on a timely topic in the field of urologic oncology. This month’s issue of JUO investigates the detailed epidemiological characteristics of urologic oncology and provides the most recent updates from renowned authors across the globe.
Three review articles from the world’s leading researchers were invited for this issue. Professor I.Y. Kim from Yale University (USA) presents an update on prostate cancer immunotherapy, including all currently available modalities or investigative methods, covering immune checkpoint inhibitors, vaccine-based treatments, adoptive cell therapy, and oncolytic virus therapy [1]. Professor S. Akamatsu from Kyoto University (Japan) carefully summarized the current status and the future of plasma cell-free DNA analysis in urinary malignancies, including prostate, bladder, and kidney cancers, in a very comprehensive way, with beautiful and informative illustrations [2]. To enhance our understanding of the epidemiological characteristics of prostate malignancies in Asia, which have not been highlighted in a comparative way in previous publications, we invited professor T. Kimura from Jikei University (Japan) to write an article, and he wonderfully explained the unique epidemiology of prostate cancer in Asia, which is distinct from that in Western countries [3].
In the same context as our focus in this month’s issue, we planned key titles and invited domestic urologists with worldwide renown. Professor H.D. Yuk from Seoul National University meticulously analyzed the epidemiology of urologic cancers in Korea over the last 2 decades [4]. Professor S. Yoo from the same institution investigated the risk factors for bladder cancer utilizing nationwide data. Given the low prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing uptake in many Asian countries, negatively influenced by contemporary Western guidelines [5]. Professor Y.H. Ko from Yeungnam University presented a study showing that the prescription of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, which encourages repeated PSA testing to select patients based on proper criteria, enhances the detection of prostate cancer in Korea [6]. Professor J. Choi from the Catholic University of Korea described practice patterns for small renal masses among 176 Korean urologists across the country and identified vital indicators in action plans for active surveillance [7].
In addition to the content presented above, interesting original articles were published in this issue, with topics including the 10-year oncological outcomes of bladder preservation with transurethral resection of bladder tumor and intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin instillation in selected patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer [8], the significant prognostic impact of angiolymphatic invasion in patients with bladder cancer beyond the pT2 stage [9], and the prognostic significance of body mass index in nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma [10]. We believe that all these articles will help provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of these topics. In the second issue set to be published this July, we are planning articles on topics of current interest, including updates on the role of prostate-specific membrane antigen-positron emission tomography in the prostate section, genetic testing in the kidney section, and trends in urine biomarkers in the bladder section.
We are proud to announce the launch of the inaugural issue of JUO. This new publication is dedicated to providing a platform for innovative research and ideas in urology and related fields. We believe that by bringing together experts from all disciplines, we can create an open forum for exchanging knowledge and advancing the field of urology.
We look forward to receiving your contributions!
Notes
The author has nothing to disclose.