Retraction Note: Time-of-day immunochemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer: a randomized phase 3 trial | Nature Medicine

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Retraction Note: Time-of-day immunochemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer: a randomized phase 3 trial

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Non-small-cell lung cancer<br>Randomized controlled trials

The Original Article was published on 02 February 2026

Retraction to: Retraction Note to Huang, Z., Zeng, L., Ruan, Z. et al. Time-of-day immunochemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer: a randomized phase 3 trial. Nat Med 32, 1233–1240 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-04181-w

After publication, concerns were raised about substantial changes made to the study registration on (NCT05549037). Key elements, including endpoints, eligibility criteria, sample size, and study design, appear to have been inconsistently reported and modified over time. In addition, the translated version of the study protocol published with the manuscript was dated 2022 but contained references to studies published in 2023 and 2024. Upon further investigation, other discrepancies were identified between the original version of the study protocol in Chinese, and the translated versions provided to the journal during the peer review process and for publication. The authors’ explanations for these issues largely were attributed to administrative errors rather than prospectively documented amendments.

Additionally, there were multiple concerns surrounding unexpected data patterns in the study, such as the shape of progression-free survival (PFS) curve being smoother than what is most commonly observed in similar large phase 3 trials; the absence of censoring in the first year of the study; the absence of adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation throughout the trial; and the similar rates of immune-related adverse events in the trial’s two arms despite the differences in therapeutic efficacy. These concerns were compounded by the source data provided by the authors indicating that randomization was performed on the day of treatment for almost all patients, which is uncommon; and their acknowledgement of deviations from fixed-calendar imaging schedules due to COVID-19 related delays and cycle-based assessment, indicating a lack of adherence to standard RECIST timing recommendations.

The authors have provided a time-stamped version of the original study protocol and ethics approval alongside certified translations, as well as tabulated source data. However, due to the amount and nature of the problems identified, the editors no longer have confidence in the integrity of the results.

Authors Zhe Huang, Liang Zeng, Zhaohui Ruan, Qun Zeng, Huan Yan, Jiacheng Dai, Nachuan Zou, Shidong Xu, Xue Chen, Xiaomei Li, Boris Duchemann, Yang Xia, Christoph Scheiermann, Francis Lévi, Tony Mok, Nong Yang and Yongchang Zhang agree with the retraction.

Authors Wenjuan Jiang, Yi Xiong, Chunhua Zhou, Haiyan Yang, Li Liu, Ya Wang, Zhan Wang, Jun Deng, Jing Wang, Hua Xiang, Guoqiang Chen did not respond to any correspondences from the editors about this retraction.

Author information<br>Author notesThese authors contributed equally: Zhe Huang, Liang Zeng, Zhaohui Ruan, Qun Zeng.

Authors and Affiliations<br>Early Phase Clinical Trial Center, Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, Hunan Cancer Hospital/The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China<br>Zhe Huang, Liang Zeng, Zhaohui Ruan, Huan Yan, Jiacheng Dai, Nachuan Zou, Shidong Xu, Jun Deng, Xue Chen, Jing Wang & Yongchang Zhang

Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, China<br>Zhe Huang, Shidong Xu & Yongchang Zhang

Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China<br>Zhaohui Ruan

Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland<br>Qun Zeng & Christoph Scheiermann

Department of Medical Oncology, Lung Cancer and Gastrointestinal Unit, Hunan Cancer Hospital/The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China<br>Wenjuan Jiang, Yi Xiong, Chunhua Zhou, Haiyan Yang, Li Liu, Ya Wang, Zhan Wang, Nong Yang & Yongchang Zhang

Department of Interventional Vascular Surgery, Hunan Cancer Hospital/The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China<br>Hua Xiang

Research Unit ‘Chronotherapy, Cancer, Transplantation’, Faculty of Medicine, Paris-Saclay University, Hospital Paul Brousse, Villejuif, France<br>Xiaomei Li, Boris...