On February 22, 2011, the Journal of Clinical Oncologyreleased its first podcast online, making it possible for busy readers to now access important JCO content on the go at JCO.org.

JCO Editor-in-Chief designate Stephen A. Cannistra, MD, expects the podcast program to enhance readers’ experiences by providing both a summary of and further insights into high-profile JCO articles in short, convenient audio files.

“One of our goals is to ensure that high-profile publications in JCO are packaged as efficiently as possible,” Cannistra explains. “It is becoming increasingly clear that many readers do not have time to delve into the details of an article and yet still wish to understand how the results will impact their practice or clinical research.” JCO podcasts, which will generally be presented in conjunction with an editorial, will enable readers to stay current on the latest research while placing the results into a clinically useful context.

In the first JCO podcast, David Avigan, MD, from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, comments on a recently published article entitled “Randomized, Double-Blind Study of Denosumab versus Zoledronic Acid in the Treatment of Bone Metastases in Patients with Advanced Cancer (Excluding Breast and Prostate Cancer) or Multiple Myeloma,” by David H. Henry, MD, et al (J Clin Oncol 10.1200/JCO.2010.31.3304) and an editorial by Howard West, MD (J Clin Oncol 10.1200/JCO.2010.33.5596).

Upcoming podcasts will feature highly anticipated research on a wide variety of disease sites, including results of recent phase III trials in bladder cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer. In these podcasts, leading experts will continue the discussion of these articles and their implications for JCO readers. In addition, Cannistra plans to incorporate an interview format, as the program develops, to involve the lead authors of featured articles.

As with Journal of Oncology Practice podcasts, readers now have the opportunity to play JCO podcasts directly on a desktop computer or to download them to a portable device for later listening. To obtain the latest podcasts, readers may subscribe free of charge via iTunes or an RSS feed, or they may visit www.JCO.org and www.jop.ascopubs.org. The most recent audio commentaries are located on the home page of each journal with the current issues; a full archive is also available in the Podcasts section of each journal’s website. ■