Pembrolizumab for Non Small Cell Lung Cancer User Reviews (Page 3)

• baf...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 1, 2019

"Husband was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer in April 2017, after heart surgery. Was put on it in the beginning, and I believe that this is the only thing keeping him alive. Never been sick or weak, no problem except hard to breathe at times."

• Fer...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 6, 2017

"I have had numerous treatments over the past 18 months. Now, these didn't improve my general health, but that wasn't very bad at any time. I have now had 4 treatments of Keytruda and find that my general health has improved. My energy levels have certainly risen, certainly not as much tiredness as before, like I can walk 3 miles most days without any bother. Previous to starting this treatment, I had great discomfort with fluid on my lung, this discomfort has now gone. I never had any side effects from getting Keytruda, me living a very normal life, long may it continue!"

• cab...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 24, 2018

"My father-in-law took his first dose of Keytruda, and after a few days, he felt strong pain all over his body. His heart was beating out of control. After we took him to the emergency room and after all scans and tests, the doctor confirmed that it was a side effect of the Keytruda. After one day in the hospital, his heart was already so damaged that after less than a day, he passed away. This drug took his life. This drug needs to be taken out of use and reevaluated."

• Dee...
• May 10, 2018

"My mom was supposed to have three infusions. After the first, she became ill with several side effects. She was so brave and went for her second one, two days later she was in the ER with a collapsed lung. Her health declined so rapidly, and she passed away one month later. I honestly feel it was the Keytruda, she would have lived longer without it. Please stay away from this drug."

• Duz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 6, 2020

"My dad took this drug because they said his chances were good to prolong life. They said his body tested strong. He took one treatment and was joking around that day. He had almost every side effect within 5-7 days. We lost him within 2 months after this. He was so weak and frail. I don’t recommend it. I regret ever going this route."

• Nan...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 26, 2019

"My husband, age 66, with lung epithelioid sarcoma stage 4. Rare form and aggressive. Keytruda caused hypothyroidism, weakness, aches and swelling in arms and legs, tingling and numbness in feet, severe mood changes. Yes, this Keytruda has helped him fight this cancer but at a cost to quality of life. It is wonderful to have him here with us after 20 months of battling this cancer, but it saddens me to see he cannot fully enjoy life. Keytruda also caused his eyes to blur and therefore he cannot read books, which he has always loved to do! At what cost shall we suffer just to stay alive? Not to discourage others from taking this drug, everyone reacts differently to drugs, and many can continue to support their families. But in my husband's case, he has the side effects listed on the website."

• Con...
• April 12, 2019

"My husband has stage 4 NSCLC diagnosed in 2016. On March 31, 2018, he was diagnosed with a 5 cm tumor on his right frontal lobe of his brain, which was surgically removed. Dr. started my husband on Keytruda in May of 2018. All was going well until Nov 29, 2018, a brain scan showed 5 tumors on the dura lining around his brain, which is inoperable. He had radiation, which did get rid of the tumors for now. Dr. kept him on Keytruda. 6 weeks ago, after his Keytruda treatment, my husband got very weak, short of breath, and stayed in bed 95% of the time as he was so exhausted from doing nothing. 3 weeks later, he had another treatment of Keytruda and the same thing again: weakness, in bed all the time, and short of breath. Today, he was feeling much better but had to have his Keytruda again today. I will monitor him to see if this treatment kicks him down again. Does anyone have any advice? His oncologist states that Keytruda is the only thing keeping him alive right now."

• Tes...
• November 17, 2017

"My father had Keytruda, and now he is dead. Stay away from this form of treatment! It does not lengthen your life, it shortens it. It also stops all the good in your immunity. Please stay away from this drug!"

• Not...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 16, 2021

"My husband has stage 4 metastasized lung, kidney, and brain cancer. He started Keytruda in late May 2021. 3 1/2 months later he is in bad shape. Terrible shoulder pain. Confused. Tired. No appetite. Four hospital stays. Can't eat solid food. Lost 12 lbs in 5 days! Heart attack. Keytruda is so bad for my loving husband. Please research this deadly drug before you or a loved one is given an infusion. My husband is slipping away from me and his family."

• Key...
• June 18, 2020

"I believe Keytruda killed my dad. After the second dose, he quit eating. He was getting sick, no energy. Doctors just kept saying it wasn't that and pushing the drug. He had a tumor that appeared and rapidly grew. Also, his best friend was on this for the same, and he is now really, really sick. This is a horrible, horrible drug and should be taken off the market."

• bkc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 8, 2022

"Stage 1 lung cancer, surgically removed 3 years ago. No chemo or radiation. Clean lung scans for 3 years. No cancer in the lungs now. However, diagnosed with lung cancer brain mets. Whole brain radiation and Keytruda treatments. Prior to Keytruda treatments, the patient had NO need for supplemental oxygen. ZERO need for supplemental oxygen. Within 4 weeks and after only 2 Keytruda treatments, severe lung damage occurred. As with other reports here, high levels of oxygen are now required, and there is a continual severe drop in oxygen with any movement whatsoever. Sitting up in bed, shifting body to the side, reaching for something, causes severe drops in oxygen levels. Whether the lungs can be repaired or not is yet to be seen. I'm sharing this information with you and hope you will think long and hard before rolling the dice on this drug. The damage done is ironically somewhat more devastating than the cancer tumors in the brain. Think long and hard."

• Mad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 3, 2021

"My dad started Keytruda in March 2021. He had lung cancer. This was pretty much the only option he was given. He died very suddenly 3 months later. One day, he started having horrible abdominal pain. Took him to the ER, where he was admitted to the ICU. He had one kidney completely fail and 3 aneurysms. I feel had he not started Keytruda, he would still be with us."

• Lor...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 26, 2024

"I was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer that spread to my brain, chest, and abdomen in 2020. I underwent radiation and CyberKnife. Then I was put on Keytruda - one treatment every 3 weeks. I've had no side effects and never missed a day of work. I continue to work at Home Depot in receiving, unloading, and breaking down trucks! I just celebrated my 60th birthday. I'm still working, gardening, and enjoying my grandchildren. I continue to do my treatment every 3 weeks. Thank you to my wonderful doctors and nurses and of course, Keytruda, at the Lowell Cancer Center."

• ege...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 13, 2021

"My mother-in-law completed chemo and radiation for stage 4 lung cancer. Radiation helped a lot with brain and bone tumors. She did one treatment of Keytruda, her lungs became inflamed, and she died 10 days later. I believe immunotherapy is the future for cancer treatment after traditional options are used, Keytruda is NOT it."

• JLC...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 19, 2024

"My wife has been doing the Keytruda treatment for close to a year now with no serious side effects. It has helped greatly to where chemo can now be stopped. I have read good reviews here and some very scary ones! The problem is everyone reacts differently to all medications and if you went by all the side effects listed on medications, you wouldn't even take them. I so wish all success on this terrible illness and strength in your fight against it!"

• Mic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 11, 2018

"My husband has had seven treatments. The worst side effect has been extreme fatigue, although he has continued to work full-time. It affected his thyroid, and he is now taking Synthroid. He has been an insulin-dependent diabetic for many years, and the Keytruda has apparently affected that also. Working with his endocrinologist to get that under control. He will have a scan done in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, it will be good news. We both agree this drug is way better than undergoing chemo."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 21, 2021

"I started with a tumor on my lung. It had spread to my lymph nodes in my neck and stomach before it was found. I did 3 cycles of platinum chemo, shrank cancer 40%, then continued to Keytruda, and in the last scan, it had shrunk another 28%, 68% total in 3 months with both treatments. I've had zero side effects. I'm even back to work part-time now."

• Dad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 17, 2022

"NSCLC. Just plain and simple. Keytruda killed my dad. He went through radiation, and that shrunk the main tumor. We should have stopped there!!! Three treatments of Keytruda, and he took a nosedive: no eating, could barely walk, declined quickly. Hospice started. Three days later, dead. My dad was 95, but very active for his age. If you have an elderly loved one, let them live their life. Don't give them Keytruda!!"

• Lis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 29, 2023

"My brother was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in October 2022. He had his port put in on October 12, and they started his first round of chemotherapy and Keytruda on Friday, October 14, 2022. Five days later, Wednesday, October 19, he was admitted to the hospital for a severe lung infection and was put on several antibiotics, but the infection got worse. He began to swell so bad that his skin was literally leaking, his kidneys shut down, he was incoherent, and couldn’t speak. He had 20 lbs of fluid on him. He was on almost full oxygen and full dialysis. He had never had kidney problems before. They did so many procedures trying to figure out what was wrong. We weren’t told of the side effects of Keytruda and what it would do to him. Keytruda killed my brother in 30 days!"

• Dav...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 3, 2024

"I was diagnosed with stage 4 NSCLC in September 2017. I had a lymph node removed and tested in October 2017. In December 2017, I received my first chemo (Alimta, carboplatin, and Keytruda) and continued receiving it every 3 weeks until March 2018. I was able to continue working daily during the treatment. A PET scan in April 2018 showed no active cancer. I then continued with Keytruda as a maintenance treatment every 3 weeks until August 2018, but at this time I experienced bad diarrhea. I lost almost 60 lbs and ended up in the hospital for a week. I returned to the hospital in November 2018, but was released after three days. I received daily infusions of steroids for 3 more days. In 2021, a lymph node was removed and the results showed it was clear. Today is February 3, 2124, and I feel blessed to be alive and well. Medication effectiveness varies from person to person, but I believe that Keytruda played a big role in keeping my cancer inactive. I also had excellent doctors! In my case, I think I may have been over-medicated with Keytruda due to a lack of data, and I hope that more information is gathered to help decrease the side effects."

• Gar...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 6, 2023

"Stage four non-small cell lung cancer. April 26, 2019 - mass with biopsy of a lymph node showing adenocarcinoma of lung origin. June 2019, after having recently been started on Keytruda immunotherapy. And I am using it now."

• Mik...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 22, 2018

"My brother was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer. After 2 treatments of Keytruda, his cancer had spread like wildfire, and his health severely declined. He then tried chemo, but after just 3 treatments, he was too weak and was put in hospice. He passed away just 4 months after being diagnosed."

• OMG...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 8, 2021

"My husband was given Keytruda and broke out in severe psoriasis. So, they stopped the treatments altogether, and within 5 months, he passed away. I would never use this drug. I think it's too aggressive."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 9, 2017

"Had all of the requirements - PD-L1, 90% effaced, did not have the tumor mutations, 1st line of defense. Bought into the 'wonder' drug hype and it failed miserably. Cancer metastasized. Now being treated with chemo and responding, but it's too late."

• Ken...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 13, 2024

"My lung cancer traveled to my bowel and I turned stage 4 during an ICU stay. They released me to hospice after my weight was 60 pounds. I had been intubated for a month (2 of those in a coma. 2 trach to vent). My right lung was completely collapsed under an 11cm tumor, I had 8 Mets in my small intestine, also collapsed from no food in a month. I could not sit, stand, or walk. I could not talk till I left the ICU. 6 days after regrouping in hospice, I 'ran away' to get Keytruda. In 4 infusions, I was cancer-free. I was diagnosed 5 years ago tomorrow, I have been cancer-free since December 2019. I took it solo for 17 months. My PDLI was 80%. I had no side effects except getting thyroiditis (not worth complaining about vs death), and I am completely healthy now."