Going Beyond Standard Immunotherapy

Thanks for your quick response. For the past year we have been draining a pint of fluid, 1/2 quart, off one lung every 3rd day. Have a catheter in the right lung. My wife is a retired RN so we drain it at home. I’m not going to let them do a procedure to close the space the fluid is accumulating until they tell me what is causing the fluid. That’s why I was inquiring here. It doesn’t hurt, just inconvenient. I don’t want to stick my nose into anyone’s business but my oncologist informed me more than once, while taking Keytruda/immunotherapy DO NOT take any vaccines. Has your Dr approved?? Stay safe.

I was on 4 types of chemo and after 7 months went on keytruda and been on that over one year.

I'm Hoping there will be replies to those oncologist patients taking vaccines. As I understand it's live vaccines that may not be approved. We have been told that all oncology patients need to be vaccinated for Covid 19/

@dutchw- Good morning and Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Thank you for sharing your story. I am a mentor for Mayo Connect's Lung Cancer and Lung Diseases. I have an unusual lung cancer called Multifocal Adenocarcinoma. I have survived two types of lung cancer for 23+ years and have never had immunotherapy, although I have had chemotherapy. I am sorry if I have given the impression that I have taken this wonderful drug.

@miriam57; @richcolleen- I have found that many people who have finished their two years on Keytruda are followed very closely with CT scans. I am at a loss to tell you that there are other drugs right now that will maintain you. Keytruda is "Humanized antibodies" This means that they are antibodies from non-human species whose protein sequences have been modified to increase their similarity to antibody variants produced naturally in humans. I certainly hope that the positive outcomes for many people who have taken this drug will see many more and maybe even a possibility for a maintenance program. I just don't know of any at this time.

The developers for Keytruda limited the study to two years. There was a lot of competition between several drug makers for the success of such a drug. You can read more of this here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pembrolizumab
The reason that I am suggesting that you read Wikipedia about your drug is so that you can see why there was a 2-year limit.

I am very glad that this drug's targeted population has expanded into many cancers.
https://www.keytruda.com/

I just want to take time and thank you for being here Merry !!! Whenever I start feeling down about surviving or reoccurrence of my lung cancer I read your 23+ year survival story. It perks me up, gives me hope as I’m sure it does others on this site. At my age, if I make it 23 more years I’ll be 104 years old lol.. Thank you, your a God sent.