Generic Name: Keytruda (pembrolizumab)
Keytruda Reviews
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "My father is in ICU. He asked me to share this with you. He has had COPD. Recently, he got a spot on his lung but otherwise he was strong, though overweight. After his 3rd Keytruda treatment, everything went wrong. He lost his voice, kept feeling 'particles' in his nose and mouth, didn't sleep for over a week, feet swelled up like footballs, and had awful coughing. The doctor said he had a lung infection and sent him home with antibiotics and Lasix. No effect, he swelled up even more. He stopped going to the bathroom... both. He could barely walk, and we had to lift each leg into our SUV and pull them out one at a time when we got to the hospital. His liver and kidneys are shutting down, he still cannot talk, only whisper. He's dying. He agreed to do this because they said it uses your immune system, and my father has a very strong immune system. He assumed that Keytruda would use his already good immune system to beat the cancer."
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "Frustrated beyond words. My husband had his first treatment of Keytruda on a Friday morning at which time his oxygen levels were normal. Within a couple of hours, he had chills and a fever (to be expected), however, I took him to the hospital the next morning because his fever was 101.3 (which I thought was too high). Upon admission, his oxygen was 88, and they were alarmed, and he's been in ever since. He's now on High Flow Oxygen @ 98.9% and 25 Liters. They are denying it's the Keytruda and say it wasn't in his body long enough, which I don't believe at all. They keep saying it's a virus. At one point, his oxygen line broke, and he tanked to 39%. And they didn't put him in ICU (go figure). They still, to this day, don't believe it's the Keytruda, but we are 100% confident it's the drug. I just want them to admit it -- we knew the risks, but we were sold on 'hardly anyone has side effects'. I'm beside myself upset!!! I just want the doctors to be honest."
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "My heart goes out to all affected by cancer, patients, families, friends, and providers. We are all very different genetically, and there's no 'One Cure'. My husband was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer the Thursday before Thanksgiving 2019. By Christmas, he had radiation for 15 days followed by an evaluation for chemo. After blood work and consultation, he decided on Keytruda, chemo not an option. Had treatment once a week, then every two weeks, once a month, and now every six weeks. As of now, he has improved in the sense that the cancer is not growing, yes it shrunk a bit but he will never be cancer-free, it has compromised his spine, but he's here now and goes to work every day (UPS) and has never had to take the day off due to complications from the treatment (some nausea). I don't know what tomorrow brings regarding the medication, his cancer, or life but I thought 2019 was the last year he would be with us. Today I am grateful for Keytruda. Best wishes to everyone struggling with cancer."
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "I'm going to be brutally honest here. If you are not ready to give up the fight for life, then STAY AWAY from this drug. My grandpa was walking, talking, cooking meals and within 4 days of treatment was literally LIFELESS!!! I will NEVER tell anyone this is a good and/or safe drug. I would give Keytruda a 0 if I could."
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "1 treatment and 2 weeks later he was gone. Horrible swelling, unable to focus, couldn't eat, couldn't walk, before treatment was doing okay. This took him out really fast, went from functional to non-functional after 1 treatment. Thought this medication would help, instead it only sped up his death."
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "My Keytruda experience is entirely positive. I only wish and hope it helps others like it helped me. Male, 70. My 5cm inoperable lung tumor discovered about a year ago shrank to smaller than 1 mm in size after 3 Keytruda infusions. No side effects. Never stopped riding my bike to the gym. Only stopped 2 days before the surgery. Lobectomy followed. A few weeks later I was told by the surgeon and my oncologist that I don't have cancer anymore."
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "In the 18 months after my lung tumor was found, I had platinum-based chemo, surgery to remove part of my lung, proton beam radiation, gamma knife surgery, and oral chemo med Iressa. Nothing helped, the cancer spread, and I had mets to brain and bones. Bone mets were so bad that my femur spontaneously fractured. My docs did not initially offer Keytruda because my tumors carried the EGFR mutation. But I did have high PD-L1 (80%), so when nothing else worked, we tried it. After 2 years of treatment every 3 weeks, I had no evidence of disease and remain NED one year after stopping treatment. Side effects were extreme fatigue, headaches, sweats; I still have these. But I am enjoying life and sure that Keytruda saved my life."
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "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."
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "My father was diagnosed with NSCLC in July 2018. We were told he was not eligible for chemotherapy and that Keytruda was his best option. My father had his first treatment 1 week later, and 2 weeks after treatment, he presented to the ER with weakness, severe shortness of breath, and restlessness. He was admitted for pericardial effusion. He had his 2nd treatment, and 1 week later he went back to the ER with severe shortness of breath, loss of appetite. At this point, he had lost weight and was admitted for pneumonitis and hypoxemia. My father's health declined so rapidly after taking this medication within a month's time. After his 2nd hospitalization, his quality of life was minimal to none; he was a total assist as he could not do anything for himself. He was placed on hospice 1-2 weeks after his last hospitalization and passed away 1-2 weeks after being placed on hospice. My family and I were given false hope regarding this medication, and it killed my father and stole what time we had left with him."
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "After chemo and radiation treatments, I was given six months. My Dr. got me into a Keytruda study. After eleven months of Keytruda treatments, I am considered in remission. I write this because I debated taking Keytruda because of the bad reviews. So sorry for the people that didn't have good results, but Keytruda was a blessing for me."
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "So last April my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Turns out she was a candidate for Keytruda. Her first treatment, she became very ill. Ended up in ICU for low sodium. It was bad. She was very ill and was going to stop the treatments. We and the doctor talked her into continuing, and honestly, she's done amazing with it. The cancer has shrunk. You would never know my mom has cancer. 1.5 years later and still doing everything she did years ago. I'm sorry it hasn't worked for everyone, but it truly is a miracle drug for some. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the extra time with my mother."
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "Keytruda is a killer. My mother was diagnosed with NSCLC in March and passed away on June 22nd. This so-called miracle drug attacked her healthy organs. There’s not a lot of information on the internet stating the facts, more than 4% of people suffer due to this drug. Please consider all your options, my mom's life was cut short because of false hopes."
For Head and Neck Cancer "After my husband lived through 3 separate squamous cell mouth cancers, the 4th recurred. Was advised by doctors 5 weeks twice a day Proton therapy and once every 3 weeks Keytruda. Two weeks after receiving Keytruda, his beautiful (non-smoking) lungs were chemically burned from Keytruda. They treated him with a high dose of steroids and said he would have to be on them at least, if not more, for 1 year. It was explained steroids at this dosage carried high side effects such as badly damaging kidneys and other organs. My husband chose death. Told me if I ever get diagnosed with cancer, just let it take me. Said it’s not worth the treatment, which is what really finishes you off. Ironically, 2 weeks later a friend also died from Keytruda after badly damaging his lungs too. You don’t realize you are the test subject for these drug companies. Beware of this drug!"
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "I believe Keytruda killed my husband. Period. He was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer/brain cancer in June 2017 and passed away in September 2017. He did not die of the brain cancer, he was still choosing to work, functioning, but days before he died, he had several unusual things happen. He went to the doctor and died that evening from what I believe was heart failure. It was sudden, unexpected. He had two series of Keytruda, three weeks apart. I believe the 'cure is worse than the cause.' Caution to anyone who believes this is a miracle drug. It is not."
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "Keytruda was used for my boyfriend along with pemetrexed and carboplatin. After the third infusion, he developed a bad cough that turned out to be pneumonitis caused by the Keytruda. They persisted in giving him another round of the Keytruda, and the pneumonitis got much worse. He is on oxygen now. A few months after stopping the Keytruda, he developed autoimmune colitis, also attributed to the Keytruda. His cancer spread into the pleural cavity, so it didn't help at all. The risks of this drug were not explained to him before starting. I think this is criminal. He went in with one life-threatening condition and came out with three!"
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "I believe that Keytruda killed my dad. The doctor told him most people don’t have side effects and this drug works great. My dad was feeling good, and after the second treatment, had nonstop coughing and severe shortness of breath. He could no longer breathe, collapsed, and died. The doctor had no explanation or comments. Upon further research, it looks like this drug only works for 20% who use it. I would explore other treatment options before using this drug. It’s marketed as a miracle drug, but they don’t tell you it only works for a small percentage of people, and a side effect may be death."
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "I was diagnosed with lung cancer on January 27th. Later, a brain scan revealed seven brain lesions for which I have been treated with Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT). Before January 27th, I experienced arrhythmia fairly regularly, anywhere from every two weeks to at least once a month. After my first infusion, my arrhythmia has occurred daily, lasting anywhere from 4 to 12 hours, which debilitates me, often leaving me very weak. (Last week, my cardiologist gave me a more powerful anti-arrhythmia prescription, but to no effect.) I also experience a persistent dry cough, which sometimes makes talking difficult. There is also shortness of breath. And since my second infusion 2 weeks ago, there is occasional neuropathy in my feet. My daily quality of life seems worse than the disease, although the latter's outcome is assured. So I ask myself, two years of feeling like this daily? No way. And at what point is quality of life to be sacrificed for treatment? Of course, it's an individual assessment. Nevertheless, your thoughts?"
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "Although it seems some have had a bad experience with this drug, as in some other posts, mine was positive. My father found out he had lung cancer. His brother and father both had it as well, and passed away at 74 (both at the same age). My father has been a heavy smoker since age 15, as they were also. After finding out he had tumors on his lungs, we both felt it was a death sentence. He informed me that he was going to do some treatments with a new drug I had never heard of, and I work for a pharmaceutical company. Keytruda was the name of it. Of course, you have to qualify in terms of health, stage of cancer, and other aspects to be treated. He was a high candidate for this drug as per his doctor. He began treatments immediately upon that confirmation. Within three months, one of his two tumors was gone. The other had shrunk by 50%. Here we are in August, the other tumor is gone as per his scans, as well as his blood being normal. Now, they did not say he was cured, but his treatments have ceased."
For Melanoma "My father got his first dose of Keytruda 3 weeks ago, and he has been in ICU ever since. It started with a mole! He was fine otherwise. Now he cannot breathe, it’s damaged his lungs and all of his muscles! At this moment, he has a feeding tube, and they just gave him a tracheotomy to help his lungs. He can’t talk or even hold his head up! This is just awful! Please don’t use this drug! I would rate it a zero."
For Endometrial Cancer "My beautiful mother was pretty much cancer free and was prescribed keyTruda. She had two infusions and was dead within six weeks. She was walking around perfectly walking, talking, doing dishes pretty much running around like a kid, and all of a sudden she lost her voice, was hunched over all the way, couldn’t even keep her head up or walk, and was extremely weak, couldn’t even cough. She developed pneumonia then respiratory failure, organ failure, and pretty much death. The most horrific way to go out. One week feeling ok and the next week that was it. I hope I save somebody’s mom by leaving this review. Please never take this medication. I lost my mom so much sooner than she should’ve been taken from this world. I don’t know how I will ever be the same."
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "I honestly believe this medicine ended my mother's life. It was horrible, she had two doses and passed away 2 months after taking this medicine. She was so sick from this medicine. Then a friend of our family, who was doing great on chemo, was put on Keytruda, and they passed away 2 weeks later. This is a horrible medicine, and I wish I had not placed my trust in the doctors who recommended it. I am heartbroken."
For Esophageal Carcinoma "Maybe it works for some, but I knew after my husband's first dose of Keytruda something was wrong. I don't like new drugs for this reason, they don’t test them enough and are hiding the effects of this drug. My husband was doing good until he took this drug. His cancer spread like wildfire after several doses of this drug. After 8 years of fighting esophageal cancer and it being fairly stable, he started this drug, he now has adrenal cancer, cancer in his kidneys, and brain cancer that will likely finish him off, and guess what? The esophageal cancer is still fairly stable. If we had stuck with traditional chemo, I believe my husband would still be healthy. He had one problem after another from this medicine. I thought I did a good job checking this out. The Keytruda makers have so many ads and websites you can’t get to the reviews from real patients. Beware, the side effects may be worse than the help. Really know what you're doing."
For Non Small Cell Lung Cancer "My mother had 2 rounds of radiation for stage 4 lung cancer. Then the doctor said just to be sure it doesn't come back, let's put you on KEYTRUDA. She immediately started having fluid on her lungs. They gave her 3 more Keytruda infusions until she developed pneumonitis. The doctor let her leave his office with a blood oxygen level of 91. Prescribed prednisone, 60 mg. After 3 days, she had to be put on oxygen, which she needed until she died. She went from being totally independent to totally dependent within 2 weeks. She had so much fluid on her legs that the blisters popped open and her skin deteriorated. She needed bandages on both legs that needed changing every day, sometimes twice a day. She got weaker and weaker. She went from walking by herself to needing a walker and after 2 months a wheelchair, and 3 weeks later couldn't even get out of bed. She died 2 weeks later. This is a fatal drug with horrible, horrible side effects. Do not take this drug unless you're ready to die. Rating - 0."
For Renal Cell Carcinoma "Diagnosed with stage 4 renal cell cancer. Kidney removed. One infusion of Keytruda eliminated all cancer except small growth on spine at L4. Treated with radiation. Last PET scan cancer free. 18 months since diagnosis."
For Melanoma, Metastatic "I have been on Keytruda since January 2017 and have completed my first 12 weeks of treatment. The main side effect has been fatigue. After 12 weeks, I had a PET scan, and the results came back that the melanoma has been stopped from spreading. My melanoma had been very aggressive, it was making new tumors within 10 days, so this treatment has been positive, as nothing new has come up in three months. We will see what the next three months bring."
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