A randomized phase 3 trial tested whether the time of day immunochemotherapy is given affects outcomes in advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Patients receiving their anti-PD-1 infusions before 3 PM survived nearly twice as long without disease progression compared to those treated after 3 PM — 11.3 versus 5.7 months — and overall survival nearly doubled as well. Morning treatment also boosted circulating CD8+ T cells and improved the ratio of activated to exhausted immune cells. The findings suggest that simply scheduling infusions in the morning could substantially improve cancer outcomes at no additional cost, though replication in Western populations and other cancer types is needed.
