Is Keytruda FDA-Approved for Mesothelioma?
As of 2020, Merck & Co.’s Keytruda (also known as Pembrolizumab) has been approved for use in metastatic mesothelioma patients to diminish tumour volume, but only if they have certain specific genetic markers. It is most effective when it’s used in combination with other therapies, but even then its effect is moderate at best.
This well-known immunotherapy drug is used to treat several different types of cancer. Despite modest success when used to treat mesothelioma, surgery still remains the best method of reducing the size of tumours. If you don’t want surgery or can’t have it, however, Keytruda may be your best bet.
How Keytruda Works
Immunotherapy drugs like Keytruda work by boosting your immune system so it can destroy cancerous cells. These drugs work with your body’s natural defence system to not only fight these cells, but also to help your immune system to identify these cells, which are able to disguise themselves so your immune system can’t find them.
This drug works by blocking the PD-1 pathway. This is a cell surface receptor that suppresses regulatory T cell activity. T cells are a type of white blood cell that controls the immune response to the mesothelioma cells in your body. By blocking this pathway, your T cell activity will no longer be suppressed.
Immunotherapy drugs like Keytruda work by boosting your immune system so it can destroy cancerous cells.
Keytruda Side Effects
The most serious side effect of Keytruda is the fact that the drug may cause your immune system to fight back against organs and tissues that are not cancerous. This can be fatal or cause serious non-fatal complications, and it can also happen after your treatment has ended. Some of the less-serious side effects of Keytruda include:
- Nausea
- Decreased appetite
- Abdominal pain
- Rash
- Itching
- Diarrhea
- Anemia
- Dry mouth
- Cough
- Fatigue
- Musculoskeletal pain
These effects can show up at any time, and for many patients they appear within the first weeks or months of treatment. They typically resolve within one to three weeks.
The Drawbacks of Using Keytruda
Aside from the unpleasant and potentially dangerous side-effects, there are other reasons you may not want to use Keytruda. One of these is the price. A single treatment can cost $100,000. If you were exposed to asbestos at work, you may want to contact a lung cancer lawyer to learn more about how you can cover the cost of treatment.
Some patients may not want to risk the side-effects when they weigh them against Keytruda’s effectiveness. Not everyone responds to the drug, and there have been cases where the drug caused the tumour’s growth to speed up. Despite Keytruda’s FDA approval, the survival increase is just 6% more than chemotherapy.
How You Will Know if Keytruda Is Working
Your doctor will tell you if Keytruda is working after blood tests and scans like CT scans or X-rays are conducted. These can show whether or not your mesothelioma is responding to treatment by making the cancer shrink. Don’t be discouraged if your cancer doesn’t respond right away; in some cases the response will be delayed.
Having side effects is not necessarily a sign that the drug is working. In some cases, mesothelioma patients experience improvements without reporting any side effects. You may also find that your cancer appears to get worse before it gets better. This is all a normal part of taking Keytruda.
If you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may want to speak to your doctor about whether or not you’re a candidate for immunotherapy. Advances in treatment are now allowing those with this terminal condition to lead longer lives with a better quality of living than ever before.
