Keytruda (pembrolizumab)

Hi - I was diagnosed in 2020 with stage 3 melanoma and I had Pembrolizumab every 6 weeks for a year - 9 doses in total.

I tolerated it very well, I had and still have some skin irritation - itching and sometimes a small rash - I use diprobase and a mild steroid cream for actual rash. I had tiredness which became accumulative but didn’t affect my day to day function. On my Ct scan they could see a small area of my bowel was inflamed but I didn’t suffer any symptoms from it.

on the whole I was very lucky - I completed treatment in January 2022 - I still have some skin irritation and rash - the oncologist says it is my immune system being overactive which obviously is a good thing.

wishing your dad all the best and for no side effects but great results.

Thank you so much for sharing

Very few side effects here. Itchy skin and inflammation in the colon due to Keytruda induced auto-immune reaction. Never missed any work or family events. Completed treatment regimen successfully and all side effects have since disappeared. 65 year old male here. Very active and health conscious.

I have noticed that the side effects vary from person to person.

Best of luck to you.

Thanks Dave

Hi Mr Putts, sorry to hear about your dad's diagnosis of stage 3 melanoma. I'm stage 3c myself and like the other 2 people who have already posted I have had minimal side effects.  I had 200mg every 3 weeks for a year.  I understand that others have had their treatment prescribed every 6 weeks, the dose is doubled up to 400 mg for them.  No rhyme nor reason for the difference except some consultants would rather give the smaller dose more often to minimize the chance of side effects. I know my consultant had two people on the 400mg dosage every 6 weeks have quite bad side effects so she won't give it 6 weekly.  Other people on here have experienced bad side effects even on the smaller dose of 200mg every three weeks.  I wish your dad well with his treatments x

Thank you and interesting to note the difference between the 3-weekly and the 6-weekly regimen. Good luck with your allotment 

Hi Mr Putts, I also had a stage 3 diagnosis and was on Pemrolizumab for a year, on a 6 weekly cycle.

There was a certiainly a long list of possible side effects but I also experienced none of them. What I can add is that I felt I was being monitored very closely throughout treatment, with blood tests and a call with the oncologist before each treatment.

Best wishes for your father.

 pf. 

Thank you PF

Hi Mr Putte

i just wanted to add that I was strongly encouraged by my oncologist to make sure my gut health was as good as it could be as there is research that shows that immunotherapy can be much more effective if you have good gut health. And to achieve good gut health through good eating and the vegetables and foods that promote the healthy bacteria in the gut. 

Thank you