Effect of immunotherapy time-of-day infusion on overall survival among advanced melanoma patients

The dependence of the adaptive immune system on circadian rhythm is an emerging field of study with potential therapeutic implications. The longitudinal MEMOIR study at Winship Cancer Institute (Atlanta, GA) found that among stage IV melanoma patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors, every additional 20% of infusions received after 1630 h conferred an overall survival hazard ratio of 1.31 (p=0.046). Propensity score-matched analysis of patients who did versus did not receive at least 20% of their infusions of ICIs after 1630 h showed that having at least 20% of infusions in the evening was associated with shorter overall survival (median 4.8 years versus not reached; HR 2.04; p=0.038).