Early Immunotherapy Administration Boosts Survival in Lung Cancer Patients

A recent study suggests that administering anticancer immunotherapy earlier in the day may significantly enhance survival rates for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. Published in the journal Cancer, this research highlights the impact of the body’s internal clock, or circadian rhythm, on the effectiveness of cancer treatments.

Researchers from the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine at Central South University in China conducted a comprehensive analysis involving 397 patients who received immunotherapy drugs—atezolizumab or durvalumab—in conjunction with chemotherapy. The study spanned from May 2019 to October 2023. The findings reveal that patients who received their treatment before 3:00 PM experienced markedly better outcomes.

Patients treated before this time showed a statistically significant increase in both progression-free survival and overall survival compared to those receiving treatment later in the day. Specifically, the earlier administration of immunochemotherapy correlated with a 52% lower risk of cancer progression and a 63% lower risk of death after controlling for various influencing factors.

The study’s senior author, Yongchang Zhang, MD, emphasized the practical implications of this finding. “Adjusting infusion timing is a straightforward and easily implementable intervention that can be adopted across diverse healthcare settings without additional cost,” he stated. Dr. Zhang believes that this research has immediate clinical applicability and could potentially transform treatment protocols for small cell lung cancer.

The concept of circadian rhythms influencing drug efficacy is not new; however, this study provides concrete evidence that timing can play a critical role in cancer treatment outcomes. As such, this research opens avenues for further investigation into optimizing medication schedules across various types of therapies and patient conditions.

With cancer treatment protocols often remaining static, this evidence serves as a reminder of the importance of considering the timing of therapy. The potential to improve patient outcomes simply by adjusting when treatments are given is a promising development in the ongoing battle against cancer.

For more detailed information, refer to the study titled “Overall survival according to time-of-day of immunochemotherapy for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer” published in Cancer. The study’s DOI is 10.1002/cncr.70126.