Ethical Approvals and Informed Consent

Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine (CSMM) is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in research involving human participants and animal subjects.

Research Involving Human Participants

For any manuscript reporting research involving human participants — including clinical studies, patient case reports, and research using patient-derived tissue, blood, or genomic samples — authors must confirm that:

  • The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki, in its current, most recently revised version
  • The study received approval from an appropriate institutional review board (IRB) or independent ethics committee, with the approving body's name and approval reference number stated in the manuscript
  • Informed consent was obtained from all participants (or their legal guardian/representative), including specific consent for publication where identifiable information, images, or case details are included
  • Participant confidentiality and privacy were protected throughout the research process

Case Reports

For individual patient case reports, authors must include a statement confirming that written informed consent for publication was obtained from the patient (or their legal guardian/representative). The actual signed consent form must not be submitted with the manuscript, as this would itself breach patient confidentiality.

Research Involving Animal Subjects

For manuscripts reporting research involving animal models (e.g., xenograft or genetically engineered mouse models commonly used in cancer research), authors must confirm that:

  • The study was conducted in accordance with institutional, national, or international guidelines on animal welfare and ethics (e.g., the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals)
  • The study received approval from an appropriate institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) or equivalent ethics body, with the approval reference stated in the manuscript
  • All reasonable steps were taken to minimize animal suffering and use the minimum number of animals necessary for valid results

Clinical Trial Registration

Where applicable, clinical trials should be registered in a publicly accessible database, with the registration number included in the manuscript. Authors reporting randomized trials should adhere to the CONSORT 2010 guideline.

Non-Compliance

Manuscripts lacking required ethical approval and consent statements will be returned to the authors for clarification before proceeding to peer review. CSMM reserves the right to reject or retract a manuscript at any stage if serious ethical concerns regarding human or animal research are identified, in accordance with COPE guidelines.