Your doctor will talk to you about how to manage this. Constipation 3. If you have any of these symptoms, contact your doctor or hospital immediately. Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist can tell you more about this. This treatment can affect the nerves. Pembrolizumab is an immunotherapy drug. Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. A few side effects can occur weeks or months after discontinuation of treatment. Tell your doctor or nurse if you feel like this. They include: Increased risk of infection. Do not drive if you feel dizzy or tired, or if your vision is affected. Your doctor or nurse may talk to you about vaccinations. This treatment can reduce the number of red blood cells in your blood. Season food or add spices and herbs to add flavour when cooking. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances. Cough 4. Common side effects of KEYTRUDA when given with axitinib include: diarrhea, feeling tired or weak, high blood pressure, liver problems, low levels of thyroid hormone, decreased appetite, blisters or rash on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet, nausea, mouth sores or swelling of the lining of the mouth, nose, eyes, throat, intestines, or vagina, hoarseness, rash, cough, and constipation. Available for Android and iOS devices. Your nurse can give you more advice. But if your appetite does not come back after a few days, tell your nurse or dietitian. They could happen during treatment, or some months after treatment has finished. Talk to your doctor if you are not sure whether it is safe for you to drive. Not hungry. Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will give you a card with information about your treatment on it. You are given pembrolizumab at a day unit as an outpatient. Your nurse will check it regularly during your treatment. Your doctor can give you drugs to help control some side effects. The information may not cover all possible uses, actions, interactions, or side effects of this drug, or precautions to be taken while using it. Applies to pembrolizumab: intravenous solution. Sometimes a reaction can happen a few hours after treatment. Hormones control many different processes in the body. A Decreased Number Of Lymphocytes In The Blood 3. Pharmaceutical Society of Australia "APPGuide online. Other conditions can cause these symptoms, but it is important to get them checked straight away. What's going on near you? If you feel unwell or have any of these signs, tell them straight away. You see a doctor or nurse before you have treatment. A Skin Rash 2. Pembrolizumab can affect the immune system. This is called a platelet transfusion. Your doctor may stop your treatment until the skin changes improve. You will have regular blood tests to check this. Your doctor may give you steroids or other treatments if tests show kidney changes. These cells fight infection. Some people may have side effects while they are being given the treatment or shortly after they have it: Some people have an allergic reaction while having this treatment. Cases presentation: Case 1 - A 58-year-old man was started on pembrolizumab for advanced melanoma. If you think you need dental treatment, talk to your cancer doctor or nurse. We cannot list every side effect for this treatment. Some foods may taste different or have no taste. This treatment can affect your appetite. Find out about support groups, where to get information and how to get involved with. This treatment can cause sore or weak muscles and stiff, sore or swollen joints. It is important to use contraception during your treatment and for a while after treatment finishes. Tell your caregiver if you feel dizzy, light-headed, itchy, hot, sweaty, chilled, or have trouble breathing. Tell your doctor or nurse if you have ever had any problems with your blood pressure. This treatment may cause headaches. Important safety information MHRA/CHM advice: Pembrolizumab (Keytruda®): reports of organ transplant rejection (July 2017) Extensive research was conducted ove… Stomach pain. Agents that block the interaction between programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) receptor and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and which inhibit cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) are transforming the therapeutic landscape in oncology. Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will discuss your treatment plan with you. Some cancer drugs can affect whether you can get pregnant or make someone pregnant. This treatment may affect how your body makes hormones. We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information -. Pembrolizumab vs. nivolumab: how do they compare? If you have any of these symptoms during treatment or after it finishes, contact your doctor straight away: You may need steroids or other treatments. Drug class: anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies, FDA Approves Merck’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in Combination With Chemotherapy for Patients With Locally Recurrent Unresectable or Metastatic Triple‑Negative Breast Cancer Whose Tumors Express PD-L1 (CPS ≥10), FDA Approves Expanded Indication for Merck’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in Adult Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL), scaling of the skin on the hands and feet, decrease in urine output or decrease in urine-concentrating ability, difficulty with chewing, swallowing, or talking, irregular, fast or slow, or shallow breathing, pain and swelling in the genitals or anal area, weakness in the arm or leg on one side of the body, sudden and severe, pains in the stomach, side, or abdomen, possibly radiating to the back. Trouble sleeping. Some side effects may need to be treated with other medicine. This is because the drugs could be passed to the baby through breast milk. Pembrolizumab can be given on its own, or with other cancer drugs. Rarely, a much more serious skin condition can develop. Our Keytruda (pembrolizumab) Side Effects Drug Center provides a comprehensive view of available drug information on the potential side effects when taking this medication. Eat high-fibre foods, such as fruit, vegetables and wholemeal bread. You will have regular blood tests to check how your kidneys are working. Side effects can become serious if they are not treated. Tell your doctor if you have any bruising or bleeding that you cannot explain. They can also affect the endocrine system (which makes hormones), the heart, the lungs and the nervous system. Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects. Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking pembrolizumab: Applies to pembrolizumab: intravenous powder for injection, intravenous solution, Very common (10% or more): Peripheral edema (up to 17%)[Ref], Very common (10% or more): Pruritus (up to 30%), rash (up to 29%), vitiligo (up to 11%), Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Exfoliative dermatitis[Ref], Very common (10% or more): Hyperglycemia (up to 40%), hypertriglyceridemia (up to 25%), Common (1% to 10%): Hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Hypophysitis, adrenal insufficiency[Ref], Very common (10% or more): Nausea (up to 30%), constipation (up to 21%), diarrhea (up to 20%), vomiting (up to 16%), abdominal pain (up to 12%), Very common (10% or more): Anemia (up to 55%), immune-mediated hemolytic anemia[Ref], Very common (10% or more): Hypoalbuminemia (up to 34%), increased aspartate aminotransferase (up to 24%), Very common (10% or more): Hyponatremia (up to 35%), decreased appetite (up to 26%), hypocalcemia (up to 24%)[Ref], Very common (10% or more): Arthralgia (up to 20%), pain in extremity (up to 18%), myalgia (up to 14%), back pain (up to 12%), Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Arthritis, myositis, myasthenic syndrome, rhabdomyolysis[Ref], Very common (10% or more): Headache (up to 16%), dizziness (up to 11%), Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Partial seizures[Ref], Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Uveitis, optic neuritis[Ref], Very common (10% or more): Fatigue (up to 47%), chills (up to 14%), pyrexia (up to 11%), sepsis (up to 10%)[Ref], Very common (10% or more): Insomnia (up to 14%)[Ref], Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Nephritis, renal failure[Ref], Very common (10% or more): Cough (up to 30%), dyspnea (up to 18%), upper respiratory tract infection (up to 11%). You may report side effects to Health Canada at 1-866-234-2345. These are some of the most common or important side effects: Immune Reactions. If you are very anaemic, you may need a drip to give you extra red blood cells. Save these numbers in your phone or keep them somewhere safe. Show them your Patient Alert Card. Available from: URL: http://www.appco.com.au/appguide/default.asp." You may also feel unwell with flu-like symptoms such as a high temperature and joint pain. Some side effects may not be reported. We explain the main side effects of this treatment here. These so-called immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPIs) target these key immune regulatory pathways and thereby unleash a restrained T cell-mediated anti-tumour response [1]. Possible Side Effects of Pembrolizumab. This is not a complete list of pembrolizumab side effects. Symptoms of raised blood sugar include: Tell your doctor or nurse if you have these symptoms during treatment or after it finishes. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. Some side effects may occur during the injection. ([2006]): 3. Only two cases of pulmonary side effects with pembrolizumab have thus far been described: one case of OP occurring after four infusions and one case of mediastinal granulomatosis [13–15]. 200 mg every 3 weeks, for information on dose delay or interruption due to side-effects and infusion-related reactions—consult product literature. If you have any symptoms or side effects that start during treatment or after treatment finishes, contact your doctor or hospital straight away. Nivolumab, pembrolizumab and ipilimumab can cause inflammation in many different parts of the body. Sometimes liver changes can be serious. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. Contact your doctor straight away if you have any of these symptoms during treatment or after it finishes: You may need steroids and other treatments. Itching 9. This is called a blood transfusion. This treatment can cause changes to the lungs. Data sources include IBM Watson Micromedex (updated 7 Dec 2020), Cerner Multum™ (updated 4 Dec 2020), ASHP (updated 3 Dec 2020) and others. Your doctor will talk to you about this treatment and the possible side effects before you agree (consent) to have treatment. How is pembrolizumab (Keytruda) administered? You may need creams, steroids or other medicines. Your cancer doctor or GP can tell you more about live vaccinations. a fever, with a temperature over 37.5°C (99.5°F). Always tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist about any side effects you have. Your nurse will give you telephone numbers for the hospital. I had no side effects whatsoever. You can visit the electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC) for more detailed information. You may be monitored in hospital for a time. If your blood results are okay, the pharmacist will prepare your treatment. This treatment may cause delayed side effects. Decreased Appetite 5. Some cancer treatments can cause severe side effects. fever. These may be done before, during, and sometimes after treatment. You usually keep having it for as long as it is working. This treatment can cause constipation. This treatment can cause changes to the lungs. Talk to your care team about these recommendations. The interest has grown recently in ICPIs as anti-cancer agents. The drugs may harm a developing baby. Taste Impairment 15. People with weak immune systems can have this type of vaccination. Herein, we report two patients who developed vision loss while on pembrolizumab treatment. Australian prescription products guide online. You will have regular blood tests to check some of your hormone levels. vitamins, herbal drugs and complementary therapies. Pembrolizumab (Keytruda®) is used to treat: It may sometimes be used to treat other cancers. During treatment you usually see a cancer doctor, a specialist nurse, and a specialist pharmacist. Patients should talk with their physician to learn more about the side effects of pembrolizumab and other melanoma treatment options. You may have a skin rash which then blisters, and your skin can peel. tiny red or purple spots on the skin that may look like a rash. He was tolerating the treatment well. It is often used in combination with other chemotherapy agents, depending on the patient's response to the medications and the type of cancer being treated. You may get a dry mouth. Your doctor can prescribe anti-sickness drugs. Trouble Breathing You may also have an eye check with a specialist eye doctor (ophthalmologist). When axitinib is used in combination with pembrolizumab, consider dose escalation of axitinib above the initial 5 mg dose at ≥6 weeks intervals. You may get a bitter or metal taste in your mouth. Always contact your doctor or the hospital straight away if you have these side effects during treatment or after it finishes. Before, or on the day of, treatment, a nurse or person trained to take blood (phlebotomist) may take a blood sample from you. Contact your doctor straight away if you have any of these symptoms during treatment or after it finishes: You may need steroids or other treatments such as painkillers. This treatment can affect your eyes and eyesight. Use strong, flavoured sauces or gravies to make food tastier. Share experiences, ask questions and talk to people who understand. If your immune system is weak, you need to avoid live vaccinations such as shingles. Background: Vision loss and other ocular toxicities are rare, but detrimental, side effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors. But it is important to know about them. lenvatinib, atezolizumab, Tecentriq, methotrexate, Arimidex, Keytruda, Ibrance, hydroxyurea, fluorouracil, Faslodex. hyperglycemia (diabetes) Intense Abdominal Pain 8. Symptoms include a change in temperature, aching muscles, headaches, feeling cold and shivery and generally unwell. 1. It is important to contact the hospital straight away if you have new symptoms or side effects. This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Platelets are cells that help the blood to clot. Common side effects Feeling or being sick (nausea) Skin changes Breathlessness Low levels of thyroid hormones Loss of appetite Headaches Diarrhoea or constipation Pain Fatigue Fluid … If you have diabetes, your blood sugar levels may be higher than usual. How does pembrolizumab kill cancer cells? Please see your health care professional for more information about your specific medical condition and the use of … Some side effects may need to be treated with other medicine, and your cancer treatments may be delayed. Pembrolizumab is an immunotherapy drug used to treat different types of cancer. Pembrolizumab injection may cause side effects. The drip is usually run through a pump, which gives you the treatment over a set time. They can become serious if you try to treat them yourself. Your nurse will give you advice about managing your side effects. Your doctor or nurse can explain the risk of these side effects to you. Merck & Company Inc, Whitehouse Station, NJ. They will talk to you about your blood results and ask you how you have been feeling. The easiest way to lookup drug information, identify pills, check interactions and set up your own personal medication records. We’ve created a new account area offering personalised cancer information and support. Your doctor may give you drugs to control your hormone levels, and to reduce the risk of side effects such as: If you have any of these symptoms during treatment or after it finishes, tell your doctor straight away. Our Cancer Information Nurse Specialists are dedicated cancer nurses available to talk to on our Macmillan Cancer Support Line. Last updated on May 8, 2020. A Condition With Low Thyroid Hormone Levels 2. Kelley Ratermann, ... Frank Davis, in Side Effects of Drugs Annual, 2018. What type of cancer is pembrolizumab used for? You can visit the electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC) for more detailed information about your treatment. Limitations. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. VAT no: 668265007. Your doctor may give you steroids if the blood tests show liver changes. Isle of Man company number 4694F. Change in taste. We also include some other possible side effects. Understanding. Effects on the lungs. Share this review Report this review. Related Links List Pembrolizumab Solution, Reconstituted (Recon Soln) side effects by likelihood and severity. If you need medical treatment for any reason other than cancer, always tell the doctor and nurse that you are having cancer treatment. How are axitinib and pembrolizumab used in kidney cancer? Contact your doctor straight away if you have any of these symptoms during treatment or after it finishes: If your symptoms are caused by this treatment, you may need steroids. This treatment can affect how your kidneys work. Here are some tips that may help: If you have constipation, contact the hospital for advice. This is not common, but can be serious. Joint Pain 10. Contact the hospital straight away if you have either of these symptoms during treatment or after it finishes: This treatment may raise your blood sugar levels. Your doctor can give you drugs called laxatives to help. your temperature goes over 37.5°C (99.5°F), you suddenly feel unwell, even with a normal temperature. If you are also having treatment with other cancer drugs, you may have some side effects that we have not listed here. 4 Immunotherapy-related side effects Immunotherapy-related side effects: A summary of key information The immune system and cancer • The immune system consists of many different components in the body. These can start weeks, months, or sometimes more than a year, after you finish treatment. Do not worry if you do not eat much for a day or two. Your donations make it happen. If you are a woman who can bear children, your doctor may give you a pregnancy test before you start using this medicine to make sure you are not pregnant. Instructions on how you can make a PDF version of this page using the print function on your browser. ... You should also tell them if … Call your doctor or get medical help if any of these side effects or any other side effects bother you or do not go away: Feeling tired or weak. This treatment may cause skin changes, including: If you are out in the sun, use a sun cream with a high sun protection factor (at least SPF 30) to protect your skin. Side Effects: Important things to remember about the side effects of pembrolizumab: Most people do not experience all of the side effects listed. Rarely, these side effects could be life threatening. Pain In The Muscles Or Bones 14. This treatment can affect the way the heart works. Always tell your doctor or nurse straight away if you notice any skin changes during treatment or after it finishes. If you feel sick, take small sips of fluids and try to eat small amounts often. Drink at least 2 litres (3½ pints) of fluids each day. 2. Feeling tired is a common side effect. Also operating in Northern Ireland. It is also used to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), classical Hodgkin lymphoma cHL), and urothelial carcinoma (UC). Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. Give them the contact details for your cancer doctor so they can ask for advice. We help people get through cancer. Information on long-term survival is needed to get a better measure of the comparison over time. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away: joint or back pain; swelling of the of the body or face ; changes in skin color; extreme tiredness or lack of energy; fever; nausea; vomiting; Some side effects … After your treatment is over, most side effects start to improve. Low Energy 11. You may get some of the side effects we mention, but you are unlikely to get all of them. The side effects are mainly immune-related; therefore, the stimulation of the immune system can develop autoimmune reactions towards our body. Fever 7. Your doctor may give you drugs to help reduce the swelling. This can include the bowel, liver, kidneys, skin and eyes. Pembrolizumab is an approved first-line therapy for unresectable metastatic melanoma that is often continued beyond complete response despite the fact that immune-related toxicities gradually increase with continuation of therapy. Some of these side effects are rare. Nausea 12. O 0. This is not common but can become serious if it is not treated. It is important to take them exactly as your nurse or pharmacist explains. Continue until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or for pembrolizumab, up to 24 months in patients without disease progression. Metabolic. It is given over about 30 minutes. You may have pembrolizumab every 3 weeks, or every 6 weeks. If you do have a reaction, it can be treated quickly. Try different foods to find out what tastes best to you. If this happens, tell your doctor or nurse. You may need steroids or other treatments. Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is a brand-name prescription drug that’s approved to treat several types of cancer. You will need frequent medical tests to help your doctor determine if it is safe for you to keep receiving pembrolizumab. These side effects may be mild to start with. feeling more hungry or thirsty than usual, passing urine (peeing) more often than usual, problems fastening buttons or doing other fiddly tasks, any weakness, numbness or tingling in your arms, legs or face. Taste changes usually get better after treatment finishes. Sometimes side effects can become serious very quickly. If experienced, these tend to have a Severe expression 1. Most adverse reactions that occur during treatment with pembrolizumab are reversible and managed by temporarily stopping treatment, by administering corticosteroids and/or supporting therapies. The most commonly experienced pembrolizumab side effects include (7, 10): anemia (deficiency of red blood cells) change in skin color. This is who we mean when we mention doctor, nurse or pharmacist in this information. If you feel unwell or need advice, you can call at any time of the day or night. If you continue to feel sick, contact the hospital. Always tell your dentist you are having cancer treatment. Side effects sometimes have percentage ranges [example: 14 – 19% have fatigue] because they differed between clinical studies: Fatigue (14 - 19%) Decreased appetite (11 - 14%) Itching (11%) Rash (9 - 10%) Joint pain (9%) Nausea (8 - 11%) These side effects happen in more than 10 in 100 people (10%). You might have one or more of them. feeling that your heart is beating too fast or too slowly. only passing very small amounts of urine. Along with its needed effects, pembrolizumab may cause some unwanted effects. Cellulitis If experienced, these tend to have a Less Severe expression 1. That means that pembrolizumab may help your immune system continue to attack melanoma cells even after treatment. Cerner Multum, Inc. "UK Summary of Product Characteristics." If you are worried about this, it is important to talk with your doctor before you start treatment. Pembrolizumab side effects can range from minor to debilitating. Effectiveness. Description: Pembrolizumab is a humanised immunoglobulin G4 monoclonal antibody which binds to the cell surface receptor programmed death-1 (PD-1), a negative immunoregulatory protein, and prevents it from interacting with ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2.Blockade of the PD-1 pathway results in the reactivation of T-lymphocytes and induction of immune response to tumour cells. extreme tiredness, fatigue or lack of energy. Always tell your cancer doctor about any drugs you are taking or planning to take, such as: Tell other doctors, pharmacists or dentists who prescribe or give you medicines that you are having this cancer treatment. This treatment can affect how your liver works. Bloating or swelling of the face, arms, hands, lower legs, or feet 2. body aches or pain 3. chills 4. constipation 5. cough 6. depressed mood 7. difficulty with breathing 8. difficulty with moving 9. dry skin and hair 10. ear congestion 11. feeling cold 12. fever 13. hair loss 14. headache 15. hoarseness or husky voice 16. loss of voice 17. muscle cramps, pain, and stiffness 18. pain in the joints 19. pale skin 20. rapid weig… Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. If the number of red blood cells is low, you may be tired and breathless. 1. You may report them to the FDA. Registered office: 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7UQ. Back, bone, joint, or muscle pain. In clinical studies, the most commonly reported side effects with pembrolizumab are shown here. If you have dry lips, using a lip balm can help. This treatment can cause high blood pressure. An anonymous network of people affected by cancer which is free to join. Pain 13. They may give you food or drink supplements. They will give you advice. You will have regular blood tests to check this. Contact your doctor straight away if you have either of these symptoms during treatment or after it finishes: If you feel sleepy, do not drive or use machinery. This is not common but can become serious if it is not treated. This means they will be more likely to work for you. Side effects of Pembrolizumab. any unexplained pain in other parts of your body. - Some act as physical/chemical barriers (skin, cornea, membranes in the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract and reproductive tract). Tell your doctor or nurse if you have any signs of an infection. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. Pembrolizumab is a monoclonal antibody used to treat patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma and disease progression following ipilimumab and, if BRAF V600 mutation positive, a BRAF inhibitor. Headache. Eat sharp-tasting fresh fruit and juices or try sugar-free sweets to leave a pleasant taste in your mouth. Your doctor will advise you not to get pregnant or make someone pregnant while having this treatment. Weight loss . There are a number of things you can do to manage the side effects of pembrolizumab. Side effects while treatment is being given. Take the drugs exactly as your nurse or pharmacist explains to you. Keytruda (pembrolizumab)." They can give you painkillers. Whatever cancer throws your way, we’re right there with you. It may also be called a checkpoint inhibitor. Contact the hospital straight away if you have any of these symptoms during treatment or after it finishes: You may need steroids or other treatments, and may be monitored until your liver recovers. Side Effects. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. Signs of a reaction can include: Your nurse will check you for signs of a reaction during your treatment. This improves slowly after your treatment has finished. Doctors usually recommend that you have a flu jab, which is an inactivated vaccination. These include: Contact your doctor or the hospital straight away if: This treatment can reduce the number of platelets in your blood. They will give you advice and may change the anti-sickness drug to one that may work better for you. Contact the hospital straight away if you notice any of these changes during treatment or after it finishes: You should also tell them if any existing breathing problems get worse. Find the nearest Macmillan information and support centre, melanoma that has spread or cannot be removed (, passing stools (pooing) more than 4 times a day. Side effects are often predictable in terms of their onset and duration.