Patients given more hope as study finds best time for lung cancer treatment
‘Highly encouraging’ results uncovered after immunochemotherapy administered at different times in two groups of patients
Patients with advanced lung cancer who receive a certain therapy earlier in the day survive longer, a study has found, with a Hong Kong medical expert saying the discovery opens possibilities for optimal treatment times, although more research is needed.
The study was led by academics from Hunan Cancer Hospital in mainland China and supported by the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s faculty of medicine.
The research showed that immunochemotherapy administered before 3pm nearly doubled the length of time from the start of treatment until the disease worsened in advanced lung cancer patients, also known as progression-free survival.
It also increased the median overall survival by almost 70 per cent.
“The findings are highly encouraging as a simple adjustment to the timing of treatment may enhance therapeutic efficacy and improve survival at no additional cost to the patient or healthcare system,” Professor Tony Mok Shu-kam, chairman of the department of clinical oncology at Chinese University and co-corresponding author of the study, said on Friday.
It was the first randomised study showing the difference between morning and afternoon infusions of immunochemotherapy.