OUR HISTORY

In 1973, two years after President Richard M. Nixon signed the National Cancer Act of 1971, journalist Jerry D. Boyd founded The Cancer Letter.

Jerry set the standard for robust aggressive coverage of the foundations of the National Cancer Program.
The original publication used a practical design: two “galleys” per page, typeset on eight pages per issue, which were then folded and placed in envelopes to be mailed to readers.

The original logo was designed in 1973 by an art student whose name is lost to history. Jerry paid him a princely sum of $60 for his excellent work.

In 1990, Jerry retired, turning over the company to his daughter Kirsten Boyd Goldberg, who served as editor and publisher for the following 20 years.

Paul Goldberg became publisher in January 2011.

The Cancer Letter has evolved substantially since 1973

Jerry D.Boyd founded The Cancer Letter.

1973

In 1988, we stopped hand-stuffing the envelopes for The Cancer Letter’s weekly issues.

1988

In 1992, we launched the website.

1992

In 1998, we started publishing online.

1998

In 2001, we started of fering IP-verified site licenses to institutional subscribers.

2001

In 2008, we ceased production of printed and mailed issues and started to publish exclusively online.

2008

In 2014, we redesigned our logo, and the website, allowing readers to access articles on the web as well as on their mobile devices.

2014

In 2017, we drastically redesigned and updated our weekly PDF, winning design awards.

2017

In 2018, we made The Clinical Cancer Letter, by then a 41-year-old monthly publication targeted toward clinicians, into a section in our weekly issues, increasing our clinical coverage.

2018

In 2020, we changed our submission guidelines to throw open the doors to the oncology community. Guest Editorials and Trials & Tribulations became a crucially important forum to the oncology community as researchers compared care and safety guidelines and personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020

In 2021, we created the Cancer History Project, a collaborative archive of the history of cancer research and cancer research institutions. Launched as part of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the National Cancer Act, the Cancer History Project will continue to grow in perpetuity.

2021

In 2021, we launched The Cancer Letter’s new, state-of-the-art website.

2021

Login