TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Surviving cancer may depend on the time of day you receive treatment, a new study suggests.
Lung cancer patients who received intravenous immunotherapy doses earlier in the day tended to live longer, according to results published online Dec. 8 in the journal Cancer.
Receiving immunotherapy medications before 3:00 p.m. According to the study, the risk of cancer progression was 52% lower and the risk of death was 63% lower.
This could be a cost-effective way to extend survival in cancer patients, said lead researcher Dr. Yongchang Zhang, associate professor at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University in China.
“Adjusting the infusion timing is a simple and easy-to-implement intervention that can be adopted in various healthcare facilities at no additional cost,” Zhang said in a press release.
For the new study, researchers examined almost 400 people with advanced small cell lung cancer who were prescribed the immunotherapy drugs atezolizumab or durvalumab in addition to standard chemotherapy. Patients were examined between May 2019 and October 2023.
According to Drugs.com, both immunotherapy drugs work by blocking the ability of cancer cells to evade detection by the immune system.
The results showed that people who received these intravenous medications before 3 p.m. experienced significantly longer remission before their cancer began to spread again. In addition, they had a significantly better survival rate.
“This study has immediate clinical applicability and the potential to transform current treatment protocols for small cell lung cancer,” Zhang said.
According to the researchers, the effect is likely due to humans’ circadian rhythm – the internal clock that influences various body processes, including immune responses.
But researchers say more research is needed to understand the effect of circadian rhythms on cancer therapies and how to best use a person’s internal clock to maximize the benefits of treatment.
“These results suggest a critical interaction between biological rhythms and tumor immunotherapy and offer new opportunities to optimize treatment strategies,” the researchers concluded.
More information
The American Cancer Society has more information about immunotherapy.
SOURCES: American Cancer Society, press release, December 8, 2025; Cancer, December 8, 2025
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