Pembrolizumab (Keytruda), Cannabis and Cannabinoids

Correction to my previous post about cannabis and Keytruda. Nivolumab is Opdivo and Keytruda is Pembrolizumab. I am on Keytruda.

I was wondering if anyone is on alectinib for stage 4 metastatic non-small cell lung cancer? I have a family member who has been on it since July of this year and has responded very well to this therapy drug.

Hello @lighthouse68. Unfortunately, there is just not enough research out there on cannabis and THC oils yet to have scientific information to share. However, when talking about using anything as a treatment for a diagnosed medical condition, it is always best advice to have your medical provider looped in on the discussion, especially if you are taking other medications and worried about how they will interact with one-another. I understand that discussing medical marijuana in any form with a provider can be a tricky conversation. @lighthouse68, if you don't mind sharing, what was the source that you came across that said it can shrink the tumors?

Justin. Thanks for the reply. In my research, I have read from several sites and many testimonials that say they were cured, mostly, after about 3 months of use of cannabis oil. On just one site, for example, I asked a question and got 180 replies, giving advice and many success stories. I have spent many, many hours researching the use of CBD/THC Oil. For stage 4 metastatic cancer. Mine is non-small cell lung cancer. I know there have been medical studies done. But so much is still unclear. I am dealing with 3-6 months to live and am grabbing at straws for ways to stay alive longer. So far, the Keytruda does not appear to be working. I am getting desperate. Not sure where to go from here. Brian

Brian. So sorry to hear of your diagnosis. My husband has been diagnosed with cancer of unknown primary (so they don't know for sure where it's coming from) but it is Stage IV and they are leaning toward lung. We live in Colorado and marijuana has been available for medical purposes for some time and is also legal recreationally. My husband's oncologist suggested marijuana and he is using it (both CBD and THC) for the possibility of tumor shrinkage and also for pain management (he has foot neuropathy from another source, not chemo). My husband has no other treatment at this time because they can't identify a cancer type or drugs that will help....it's wildly frustrating. I have done quite a bit of research on CBD and THC and their ability to fight inflammation which can be helpful with cancer treatment. Unfortunately, since marijuana has been and continues to be illegal in so many places in the country it's hard for researchers to get permission to fully study it and so there are less results to confirm it's use in cancer. Like you, given so little hope and options, we are exploring marijuana and other treatments while we wait for 'medical science' to give us a diagnosis...if that ever happens. There are numerous medical marijuana dispensaries here in Colorado. I'm sure you could call and talk with them about the options that might be open for you. Not sure how it works if it's illegal where you live.
We are meeting with our doctors this week and next to align all his meds with the marijuana and any other alternative treatments they feel might be beneficial (intravenous Vitamin C, O2 therapy, etc). I would certainly talk with your doctors and get their opinion but if your current plan isn't working...........marijuana seems to co-exist pretty well with many cancer drugs.

Cindy. Very sorry to hear of your husbands condition. It's sad when they can't find the origin of his cancer. Since I was handed a death sentence, I have nothing to lose, by changing my diet, which is very important, and try the cannabis oil. We all have to die, but I would sure like to post pone it for a while. Like you, I have done massive research. One study, in the UK, found that the cannabis oil cut the efficacy of the Ketruda, by over half. I know I'm not going to get the answers I am looking for, but have read many success stories of remission. I wish you and your husband the best of luck. Brian

I'm curious why the cannabis would affect the Keytruda effect? What is the rationale on that? Keytruda and Opdivo are possible drugs my husband may be able to use but we have to wait and do more tests. They can't prescribe much when they don't know what the cancer actually is. But, I wonder why a natural substance, like cannabis would 'mess' with the Keytruda. If you have the time, inclination or energy to respond, I'd appreciate the information. I can't say this is accurate in any way....BUT.....my husband's tumor in his lung decreased by 1 cm over three months and his lymph node activity stayed the same (no increase). The only thing we've done is some improvement in diet and supplements (but not a great deal) and cannabis. Because we don't have to consider any pharamceuticals at this time, we're going full bore into the cannabis, Vitamin D and possibly IV Vitamin C therapy to see what if any effect there may be.

Cindy. Not sure what kind of cancer your husband has, but it's certainly easy enough for them to find out with a biopsy. My NSCLC is squamish cell carcinoma and they are treating me with Keytruda because I have positive PDL-1 markers. If your husband has negative PDL-1 markers, they should use Opdivo because it has never been tested for positive. The study I read about had 140 participants. 89 patients were on Opdivo alone and 51 were on that and cannabis. The ones who used only Opdivo, had a 37.5% effective rate and the patients who used both. Their effective rate dropped to 15.9%. That was the only study I found, so take it for what it's worth. Personally,
I think the study might be close to the same no matter which immunotherapy drug you go with because they are both in the same class with very similar side effects. I hope this has been a little helpful. Hope you get some so mb e answers soon. Brian

Thanks Brian. Good info. My husband has had 3 biopsies and five different pathology groups look at his tissue sample. You'd think they could figure it out, but nope. We're somewhere between an upper GI cancer and lung cancer. The pathology isn't clear on what it is. It's in his lung only though........on we trudge.

@lisamb, it appears your question about the ALK inhibitor, alectinib (Alecensa) got lost in the conversation. I did a quick search of Connect and didn't find any other members talking about alectinib. Study results for alectinib made big news at last year's 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting: https://www.asco.org/about-asco/press-center/news-releases/alectinib-halts-lung-cancer-growth-more-year-longer-crizotinib

Lisa, I'm happy to hear that it is working well for your family member. Are there side effects?

@lighthouse68, was alectinib ever mentioned as a option for you?