Declaration of competing interests

Conflict of Interest (COI) Disclosure

Conflict of Interest (COI) Disclosure Policy

Cancer Biome and Targeted Therapy (CBTT) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency, research integrity, and editorial independence. All individuals involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, and reviewers, must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could be perceived as potential conflicts of interest (COIs).

CBTT follows the ICMJE Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form [https://www.icmje.org/disclosure-of-interest/] and the guidance provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

What Constitutes a Conflict of Interest?

COIs may include, but are not limited to:

  • Financial relationships (e.g., employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership, equity interest, patent licensing, royalties)
  • Institutional or professional affiliations with other authors or editors
  • Shared funding sources or recent collaborations (within the last 3 years)
  • Membership on advisory boards, speaker bureaus, or journal editorial boards

Author Responsibilities

At the time of initial submission, all authors must:

  • Disclose all relevant competing interests using the ICMJE COI form or in the manuscript
  • Include a COI statement within the manuscript (in a dedicated “Competing Interests” section)

If no conflicts exist, the manuscript must include the statement:
“The authors declare no competing interests.”

Submissions lacking a clear COI statement will be returned without review.
Post-review addition or modification of COI statements is not permitted.

Editors and Editorial Board Members

If an author holds an editorial position at CBTT, the following disclosure must be included in the manuscript:

“Given their role as a board member of Cancer Biome and Targeted Therapy, [Full Name] was not involved in the peer review of this article and had no access to information regarding its review process. Full editorial responsibility for this manuscript was delegated to an independent editor.”

Failure to include this statement before peer review will result in rejection of the manuscript.

Reviewer Responsibilities

All peer reviewers must disclose any potential COIs before accepting a review assignment. Reviewers with a conflict must recuse themselves. Examples include:

  • Co-authorship with the authors in the past 3 years
  • Employment at the same institution
  • Shared grants, funding, or patents

Enforcement

Any undeclared COIs discovered after publication may lead to editorial actions, including expression of concern or retraction. Alleged violations will be investigated following COPE guidelines.

Last updated: August 2025