Journal Article

DKFZ-2026-00660

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Time of day of CAR T-cell infusion and outcomes in large B-cell lymphoma.

Luan, D. ; Ben Valid, O. ; Beyar-Katz, O. ; Tix, T. ; Accav, N. G. ; Alhomoud, M. ; Avigdor, A. ; Bücklein, V. L. ; Cohen, L. ; Dahi, P. B. ; Einarsdottir, S. ; Elimelech, J. ; Escribano-Serrat, S. ; Falchi, L. ; Fei, T. ; Giralt, S. ; Gomez-Llobell, M. ; Goy, A. ; Horesh, N. ; Israeli, S. ; Kruk, L. ; Leslie, L. ; Lue, J. K. ; Marcus, R. ; Nagler, A. ; Palomba, M. L. ; Park, J. H. ; Raj, S. ; Reddy, S. ; Romancik, J. ; Rosenbaum, E. ; Salles, G. ; Scordo, M. ; Shah, G. L. ; Shimoni, A. ; von Bergwelt-Baildon, M.DKFZ* ; Perales, M.-A. ; Subklewe, M.DKFZ* ; Greenbaum, U. ; Ip, A. ; Ram, R. ; Rejeski, K.DKFZ* ; Shouval, R.

2026
American Society of Hematology Washington, DC

Abstract: Circadian rhythms orchestrate immune activation and effector function, yet whether within-day timing influences chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy outcomes remains unknown. We conducted an international, multicenter retrospective study of 1052 adults with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma treated with CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy across 7 centers (2017-2025). The median infusion time was 11:48 am (interquartile range, 11:06 am to 12:45 pm). Each hour later in infusion time was associated with an increased risk of progression, relapse, or death (hazard ratio, 1.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.20; P = .004) after adjustment for center, product, and key clinical variables. One-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 51.4% for early (before 12:00 noon) infusion vs 35.2% for late (at or after 12:00 noon) infusion, whereas overall survival was similar between groups. The PFS benefit was driven by lower relapse and higher complete response rates in the early infusion group. Although no differences were observed in immune toxicities, late infusion correlated with higher peak inflammatory markers and reduced day 7 CAR T-cell expansion. Together, these findings suggest that the timing of CAR T-cell infusion may influence therapeutic efficacy and support prospective evaluation of circadian-informed delivery strategies.

Keyword(s): Humans (MeSH) ; Male (MeSH) ; Middle Aged (MeSH) ; Female (MeSH) ; Immunotherapy, Adoptive: methods (MeSH) ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse: therapy (MeSH) ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse: mortality (MeSH) ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse: immunology (MeSH) ; Retrospective Studies (MeSH) ; Aged (MeSH) ; Adult (MeSH) ; Receptors, Chimeric Antigen (MeSH) ; Time Factors (MeSH) ; Treatment Outcome (MeSH) ; Antigens, CD19: immunology (MeSH) ; Circadian Rhythm (MeSH) ; Receptors, Chimeric Antigen ; Antigens, CD19

Note: #DKTKZFB9#

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. DKTK Koordinierungsstelle München (MU01)

Research Program(s):

1. 899 - ohne Topic (POF4-899) (POF4-899)

Appears in the scientific report 2026

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Database coverage:
; BIOSIS Previews ; Biological Abstracts ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Clinical Medicine ; Current Contents - Life Sciences ; Ebsco Academic Search ; Essential Science Indicators ; IF >= 20 ; JCR ; PubMed Central ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection

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