Pembrolizumab for Non Small Cell Lung Cancer User Reviews (Page 4)

• Mom...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 7, 2023

Pembrolizumab "My mom, at age 87, was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer in February 2020. She had SRT (Stereotactic radiation therapy) 5 treatments and had CT scans every 6 months. She was told everything was well. However, in January 2022, she was diagnosed with malignant pleural effusion, and her only option was immunotherapy. Her PDL1 met the criteria, and she had 9 treatments, with infusions every 3 weeks. She had zero side effects, but the effusion did not subside, so she stopped treatment. Her oncologist told me to bring in hospice. However, 8 months later, she is still here and doing quite well. She is on oxygen 24 hours a day, but at age 90, she is enjoying her life. I feel bad for everyone who had a terrible experience with this drug. I am not sure if the Keytruda helped; hospice has been giving her daily prednisone, which also seems to have helped. I am now not sure what to think."

• Nes...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 23, 2020

Pembrolizumab "My husband had non-small cell stage 4 lung cancer. His doctor recommended infusions of Keytruda because, after testing, he considered my husband to be an excellent candidate for immunotherapy. He had little to no symptoms of lung cancer at the time. The only reason we knew he had it was due to a coincidental CT scan due to his occasional heart arrhythmia. But after his first infusion, he began coughing and his incidents of arrhythmia increased to nearly every day from once every 2-8 weeks. He became debilitated from his normal life. After the second infusion, everything worsened and he began having difficulty breathing as the cancer apparently had been launched into high gear by the drug and his lungs were filling with fluid. One and a half quarts of fluid were removed from his lungs, but he eventually came down with pneumonia and died 4 days later. I blame Keytruda for taking away precious time we needed together. I would not recommend this drug. It is much too risky!"

• Sun...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 25, 2022

Pembrolizumab "My mom was on Keytruda for a year. No side effects for most months. After about 6 months, she got a respiratory infection (head congestion, coughing up phlegm, and a little wheezing). Drs thought maybe it was a side effect, so they delayed her treatment 1 week. She was put on antibiotics and an inhaler. She needed a 2nd dose of antibiotics. She never felt sick. She was just experiencing these symptoms. After about 6 weeks, it cleared up. Other than that, she had no issues, and she was up and about the entire year. Cancer was mostly stable... (some new small growths, some shrinkage of growths, and most were stable for 1 year). Unfortunately, after 1 year, the cancer is showing some signs of progression, so they are switching her to a new med."

• Ken...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 5, 2024

Pembrolizumab "Was being treated for a nodule on the right middle lobe. Had a lobectomy and 4 cycles of chemo. Started Keytruda, 400 every 6 weeks. All went well through 5 infusions, then during the 6th, I crashed. O2 down to 47, BP 200/100. Turned gray and trouble breathing. Quick action by the nurses brought me back within 2 minutes. There was no warning except very dry throat suddenly. Fortunately, the event took place in the infusion center or it could have been the end. Oh, and the Keytruda affected my thyroid. I blame nobody. It was my body’s reaction after 6 months of treatment. Perhaps 400 is too much per infusion and builds up in the body over time."

• Col...
• October 24, 2021

Pembrolizumab "I took Keytruda successfully for 2 years. My oncologist wanted me to keep taking it since I was doing so well, even though the drug shouldn’t be taken for more than 2 years. At almost exactly the 2-year mark, my body filled with fluid. I gained 30 pounds almost instantly, and my skin was itchy and painful. After a sort of brush-off from my oncologist that Keytruda was the reason, I saw many doctors until I got to a rheumatologist that figured it all out for me. I now have cutaneous scleroderma caused by the Keytruda and it is so painful. Now all efforts are to treat the scleroderma and not the cancer."

• Dav...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 11, 2024

Pembrolizumab "6/9/22 I was diagnosed with cancer in my lung and the lymph nodes around my heart. It migrated to the base of my spine and my right hip. I had a pin put in my leg bone, it was almost eaten through. I received 10 redaction treatments. I saw on the doctor’s chart to “keep patient comfortable,” and after radiation and chemo, I was bedridden and couldn’t go to the bathroom. It was months of not being able to sit in a chair. I got on it around 9/22, and I started to get better day by day until I could drive. I’ve been on it now for 2 years every 3 weeks, and now they want to take me off Keytruda because they say it is only effective for 2 years, and insurance/Medicare will only pay for 2 years. Right now, I feel as good as I did just before I was diagnosed. PET scans showed no activity. I’m not sure what I’m going to do next. I can pay for my own PET scans ($1,500) every 3 months until something shows up and then figure it out from there."

• Joh...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 11, 2023

Pembrolizumab "I started Keytruda 18 treatments ago on a lung tumor of 9 cm. The tumor shrank to 4.5 cm after 7 doses and then stopped. The side effects of this medication are ridiculous. My last scan showed the tumor has grown to 5.2 cm now, and I now have swelling of lymph nodes by my stomach. I asked to be put on chemotherapy but was told Medicare had to approve, and that can take 21 days, meaning it leaves the tumor to grow in my lung with no treatment."

• Alp...
• January 31, 2021

Pembrolizumab "Keytruda gave me type 1 diabetes after 1 treatment. I stopped because my cancer was treatable with radiation. I indicated in this blog that I’d be reluctant to resume treatment. Well, after 9 months post-Keytruda treatment, I've been diagnosed with inoperable chest wall cancer, very aggressive. With 6 months to live and failed radiation treatment, I resumed treatment with Keytruda. I might regret the choice, but have little to lose."

• Bos...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 28, 2024

Pembrolizumab "The mouth ulcerations are awful. I just had a tooth break off because of the recession of my gums. I expect my teeth to fall out. It’s very disheartening. I also have uncontrollable female itching. The steroid ointment helps, but nothing cures it. I need something to cure my mouth so my teeth won’t fall out, and the gum condition is awful. No one seems to know how to help me."

• mot...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 15, 2023

Pembrolizumab "I started Keytruda on November 26, 2003. The first 2 days were OK... I felt no different but I'm scheduled to have my second treatment on December 20, next Wednesday, and I really do not want to do it. I have been so weak, tired, in pain, mouth pain and redness to the point that I cannot eat. It's so bad. Diarrhea, no appetite at all. Losing weight, which I started at 120 and now I am probably 110. I am a 5'9 man, 71 years old. I am wondering if it is worth going through the 2 scheduled treatments. I'm hoping I'll feel better but if it's going to be like this or worse... I'm done. They tell you that it's not as bad as the old chemo but to me, it sounds like all the same side effects."

• old...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 26, 2024

"Keytruda saved my life. Cancer had spread from the right lung to 17 lymph nodes across the body. White and red counts were almost zero. No chance of surgery as NSCLC too far along. I did the platinum chemo and radiation at the same time. Had every side effect, they stopped both twice. White and red counts stayed so low I was in the hospital four times. I was so weak, it took a couple of people to lift me onto the table for radiation daily. Had pneumonia four times. Started Keytruda. To my surprise, I felt better, could walk, move, and had energy to function by nine weeks in. Even my blood work showed normal red and white counts, the best in seven months. Started walking with a cane instead of a walker. Now battling chronic body pain, but health is better and walking is still good. My mind is focused on survival now and being one of the ones who makes it five years or more."

• Bob...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 7, 2024

Pembrolizumab "In one year, my lung cancer tumors are gone. I still have another year on Keytruda for the complete treatment. After each treatment, for 3-4 days I have some itching, which I apply Cortizone-10. Doing this for 2-3 days resolves the itching until the next treatment. After about 4 months of treatment, I began gaining weight. I have adjusted my diet, checking the calories I am eating, etc., but still continue gaining weight. Have not discussed this with my doctor yet but plan to very soon. The weight gain is beginning to affect my daily activities. I do not plan to stop the treatments as I know the Keytruda is eliminating the cancer."

• Jda...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 29, 2020

Pembrolizumab "Relaying information on a family member who probably died due to complications from Keytruda. Protocol of three infusions. Two were administered. After the second infusion, she began to have gastrointestinal complications. Hospitalized for five days while she was stabilized with steroids and antibiotics. Returned home with a course of oral steroids and Imodium. Continued to slide. Readmitted several weeks later with the same symptoms - weakness, debilitating diarrhea. Final outcome - gastrointestinal hemorrhage, anemia, and hypotension."

• Ros...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 16, 2023

Pembrolizumab "Diagnosed stage 4 after one year in remission, was a huge shock. I experience a 40 lb weight gain, and muscle and joint pain. The dosage began a 21-day cycle along with chemo, and 10 months later I went to a 6-week cycle."

• Jea...
• October 28, 2024

"I was diagnosed in March 2017 at the University of Michigan Hospital with stage 4 NSCLC. PDL-1 was 60%, and I started on Keytruda. My 2 years of infusions every 3 weeks were completed in the spring of 2019, and over the first 6 months, my tumors decreased to almost none. I had little to no side effects, just abdominal itching. I am now a little over 6.5 years with CT scans showing NED, which means no evidence of disease. I feel great, no problems, sometimes I forget I have/had lung cancer. I am now continuing to have yearly CT scans, and all is good."

• Sha...
• October 3, 2022

Pembrolizumab "Stage 4. I went for my first dose, got the IV, but my sodium was 120. They sent me to the ER with the IV. 4 days and now, 4 sodium pills later, it’s almost normal. First dose after, I had to stop because of diarrhea. 5 months later, a CT scan showed much regression in the tumors. Started again, been getting it every two weeks. 4 treatments ago, I broke out in hives. Next dose, no reaction, next dose landed me in the ER with anaphylactic shock. Stopped for 4 weeks. Restarting with pre-treatment. No problems. I have horrible fatigue, but I have MS also, and it’s fatiguing. A couple of spots of rough skin around my lips and a few white spots in my mouth. But in for more treatments, it’s been 18 months and still going, slower but better."

• Fra...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 19, 2024

Pembrolizumab "My life is virtually normal... a wonder drug, provided it continues to obviate chemotherapy. Six months after starting, the hotspots appearing after lobectomy have disappeared and remain invisible after 1 year. Side effects are minimal, with sore lips best treated with dilute salt and baking soda solution, and I feel lazy for a week or two after injection."

• Lal...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 5, 2020

Pembrolizumab "My brother, a disabled vet who has smoked 4 packs a day since he was a teen, has Stage 4 SCLC. The VA Dr. gave him 9 months to live. Non-operable and no radiation offered. They offered him 8 Keytruda treatments, and the tumors did shrink. He’s done well except for horrible leg, feet, and especially knee pain, so bad he’s wheelchair-bound because he’s a fall risk. He is also a diabetic and schizophrenic. He’s been at the VA for over a year, and now they have moved him into the nursing home part. The problem is the nursing home part of the VA has not taken him for the Keytruda in two months. Nobody is telling him or me anything, and his social worker, that he got two months ago, has not reached out to either of us, nor have any of the Drs. Strangely enough, he is 63 and diagnosed with schizophrenia at 17. He has been a normal person, the brother I am now getting to know since being at the VA for over a year. He is still smoking 4 packs a day. No Drs are telling him what’s going on."

• nig...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 4, 2024

"This drug helped me. I was diagnosed in 2014 with a shadow on my left lung. Operation to do a resection of left lower lung was done. Cancer restored itself into the top right lung after some time, again surgery to remove was performed. After a time, it showed a shadow on my liver. Doctors tried Cisplatin but I had a severe reaction resulting in being hospitalized for 7 days. After this, it was decided to use a new drug called pembrolizumab with the immunotherapy approach. I was put on the drug for 2 years at 6-week intervals. The only side effect I had was that my hair grew really fast and as the majority of my cancer was during COVID, it was hard to get a hairdresser. I had fatigue. But the outcome of the drug is that it stopped the growth, and the shadow is no longer there. I think, in my case, an excellent drug, it worked for me. Other than shortness of breath (from the resection), I feel really good for a 67-year-old male. Thank you, pembrolizumab."

• Ste...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 27, 2019

"After intense chemo and radiation, my wife was given this drug. She is about to hit the 24-month timeframe and is mostly cancer-free. One hot spot remaining. Our oncologist said that it does not work for everyone, but it was worth trying, considering the alternative. Once stage 4, there is not much hope, there is only so much chemo they can give you. There have been side effects, sure: thyroid and adrenal failure, but mitigated by drugs. Yes, this drug can damage or kill healthy organs. But it can be a lifesaver for some. In my wife’s case, it has prolonged her life and is almost getting to where we use the word remission! Yes, her oncologist stated that he can count on one hand the number of his patients who could stay on this drug as long as she. It is working for her. But it may not work well for you."

• Lin...
• February 13, 2023

Pembrolizumab "I was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, plus a large tumor on my neck that's attacking my lymph nodes. I have several small tumors on my neck as well as a mass on my right lung. I'm in a lot of pain physically and mentally. My doctor wants me to start Keytruda soon, and I would like to know if anyone can share with me the pros/cons they have had using Keytruda."

• Bil...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 19, 2025

Pembrolizumab "If I could do it over again, I would refuse to take Keytruda. Months after finishing, I am still suffering from side effects, and no one seems to have any ideas on how to stop the almost constant diarrhea. I have taken Imodium, but it doesn't help."

• San...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 14, 2017

"My wife started treatment with pembrolizumab in March of this year, having been told that she was an ideal candidate. The previous three years of four regimes of chemo and 15 sessions of radiotherapy had only managed to contain the lung tumor, although the last scan before starting the immunotherapy did show a slight growth. Unfortunately, since being on this treatment for the last four months, the cancer has spread to her spine, causing extreme pain, and the lung tumor has also 'mildly' increased in size. My wife is now waiting to start a course of radiotherapy to treat her spine, in the hope this will help reduce the pain, followed by a further regime of chemo."

• Ter...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 13, 2025

Pembrolizumab "I felt side effects within two months: first, numbing of my feet, then my colon swelling and hurting. Everyone thought it was leftover feelings from chemo. I told them, No, it was not. Third month, I was in the ER with pains in my colon. At eight months, again in the ER, so sick, colon inflammation was horrible. Now my leg is numb with fingertips. Oh, I forgot, my thyroid went south too. The drug might help, but I think you should be very, very aware of sick effects."

• MMa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 22, 2019

Pembrolizumab "5 days after my mother-in-law's first infusion, she passed unexpectedly. She showed no sign of pain. After reading the reviews, I now believe it was Keytruda that killed her... Stage 4 non-small cell."