Advances in Pathology: Journal of Thoracic Oncology 20th Anniversary Series

In its 20-year history, the Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO) has published many major articles that have had a profound impact on the pathology of thoracic malignancies. One reason JTO has had such a great influence on thoracic oncology is the visionary leadership of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), which emphasizes an international, multidisciplinary approach across all its endeavors. JTO is one of the most important initiatives of the IASLC, and its global scope, encompassing all specialties, has enabled many pathologists to play a important role in the journal. This is reflected in the participation of multiple pathologists on the editorial board and in the prioritization of publishing impactful articles led by pathologists. This has been a good investment for JTO and IASLC, because eight of the top 20 most cited articles in the journal in the past 20 years were led by pathologists. This article reviews the many advances published in JTO, most of which concern lung cancer, mesothelioma, thymic tumors, and cardiac tumors. During this period, many breakthroughs occurred in surgical pathology, small biopsy and cytology, management of lung cancer after neoadjuvant therapy, molecular genetics, and biomarker testing. Many of these advances have had a direct impact on patient care, providing new ways to stratify patients for therapeutic management decisions.