Immunotherapy is an effective systemic treatment for cancer, including melanoma, because it activates the body’s immune system to fight cancer.
Systemic treatments are drugs that reach all parts of your body through the bloodstream. Such drugs fight cancer cells that have metastasized, or spread, from the original tumor to other areas.
Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is an immunotherapy medication that helps shrink tumors and helps patients with advanced melanoma live longer.
Pembrolizumab is an anti-PD-1 inhibitor, which is:
Pembrolizumab blocks the activity of a molecule called PD-1, a protein that prevents T cells from recognizing and attacking inflamed tissues and cancer cells.
By blocking PD-1, pembrolizumab increases your immune system’s ability to attack melanoma cells and tumors. The drug works to unleash T cells so that they can invade melanoma anywhere in your body.
In 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab to treat patients who have advanced stages of melanoma:
Many experts recommend anti-PD-1 therapy, like pembrolizumab, as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced melanoma. Patients should speak with their physicians about the risks and benefits of various treatment options as first-line treatment.
Patients receive pembrolizumab intravenously (into a blood vein).
Pembrolizumab works as a systemic treatment with the goals of:
Because pembrolizumab is an antibody that works through your immune system, it can produce an immunological “memory” in T cells. That means that pembrolizumab may help your immune system continue to attack melanoma cells even after treatment.
Melanoma treatments, like pembrolizumab, have side effects, which can sometimes be serious. Patients should talk with their physician to learn more about the side effects of pembrolizumab and other melanoma treatment options.
Because every patient is different, not all treatments will work for everyone. Your physicians can determine whether pembrolizumab may be right for you.
If you are interested in learning more about pembrolizumab, here are some questions you should ask your physicians:
Patient Assistant Programs (PAPs) are designed so that you still have access to the treatments you need, in any financial circumstance. Learn more about the manufacturer’s patient assistance program and other options here.
Manufacturer’s Patient Assistance
Learn more about the latest, most effective treatments for patients who have advanced melanoma:
The Melanoma Research Alliance is the largest, non-profit funder of melanoma research worldwide. Since 2007, we have directly funded over $131 million in innovative grants to improve prevention, detection, and treatment of melanoma. We have also leveraged an additional $415 million in outside funds for research. Learn more about our funded research.