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I am officially done with ketruda. I have done it for 2 years. How many have gotten done with ketruda and the cancer didnt return.

A MyLungCancerTeam Member asked a question 💭
Coudersport, PA
May 12
 · 
Reactions
A MyLungCancerTeam Member

I took keytruda for 18 months. It did cause some pretty sever stomach problems and neuropathy. Finally stopped my own decision

May 18
A MyLungCancerTeam Member

I completed 2 years of Keytruda in Sep '24 at which time it was discontinued. I had a small area in my neck show up on the PET/CT scans 6-8 months before the 2 year date. It was in the same area that I had radiotherapy to in 2020 for throat cancer with a lymph node involved. It was squamous cell, the same that showed up in my lungs in 2022. We thought it was a leftover from that earlier radiotherapy, but it had made it through the chemo and Keytruda I had in 2022, so we weren't sure. It began to grow more aggressively last summer, so I elected to have it surgically removed in Dec '25. It was indeed squamous cell. The surgeon thinks it was protected by all the scar tissue.
I just got the results of the 2nd set of scans since the surgery and they don't show any evidence of active cancer. Only time and more scans will tell if the Keytruda will have lasting effect in my system.
Stay positive!
Tony

May 12
A MyLungCancerTeam Member

I think that may be what they recommend next for me at the end of July. Please let me know how it works and side effects. I have read so many conflicting reports about this med.

May 15
A MyLungCancerTeam Member

Just started my maintenance Keytruda therapy and I am hopeful. Last PET/CT was clean of cancerous spots even though the smaller cancer cells may still be there. Hoping for continued positive results.

May 15
MyLungCancerTeam

Congratulations on completing two years of Keytruda — that's a huge milestone worth celebrating! 🎉

It's a very common and understandable question to wonder about what comes next and whether the cancer will stay away.

While exact numbers of people who remain cancer-free after finishing Keytruda aren't available here, what Show Full Answer

Congratulations on completing two years of Keytruda — that's a huge milestone worth celebrating! 🎉

It's a very common and understandable question to wonder about what comes next and whether the cancer will stay away.

While exact numbers of people who remain cancer-free after finishing Keytruda aren't available here, what is known is encouraging. In clinical trials for NSCLC, nearly 50% of participants who received pembrolizumab (Keytruda) were still alive four years later, compared to around 36% who received a placebo. Here are some important things to keep in mind going forward:

- Remission is not the same as a cure, but long-term remission (5+ years cancer-free) may lead your oncologist to consider you cured
- Regular follow-up scans and blood tests will continue to monitor for any signs of recurrence
- Maintenance therapy may be recommended by your doctor to help keep the cancer from returning

The best person to give you a clearer picture of your individual outlook is your oncologist, who knows your full history. Don't hesitate to ask them directly about your specific situation and what monitoring plan they recommend now that treatment is complete.

May 12

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