Although an association exists between the timing of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) administration and therapeutic efficacy in several types of cancer, to the best of our knowledge, no reports exist regarding this relationship in gastric cancer (GC). The present study aimed to evaluate the optimal timing of ICI (nivolumab) administration in patients with advanced GC. A total of 58 consecutive patients with advanced GC who received nivolumab monotherapy after ≥2 chemotherapy regimens were retrospectively evaluated. These patients were divided into two groups according to the median time of nivolumab administration: i) Early‑timing and (ii) late‑timing groups, and the efficacy was assessed in both groups. The early‑timing group had significantly longer overall survival (OS) than the late‑timing group [median OS 8.2 months; 95% confidence interval (CI), 4.2‑12.9 vs. median OS 5.4 months; 95% CI, 3.6‑6.1]. Moreover, patients in the early‑timing group had significantly longer progression‑free survival (PFS) than those in the late‑timing group (median PFS 2.6 months; 95% CI, 1.3‑3.9 months vs. median PFS 1.6 months; 95% CI, 0.9‑2.1 months). Furthermore, univariate analysis showed that early timing, immune‑related adverse events and nonsteroidal anti‑inflammatory drug administration were associated with longer OS and PFS. Cutoff Finder analysis revealed that the optimal timing of nivolumab administration for achieving better outcomes was before 12:06 p.m. Nivolumab administration in the morning, especially before 12:06 p.m., had a better clinical impact on patients with advanced GC.

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