Pembrolizumab Intravenous and Pneumonitis

• Generic Name: pembrolizumab
• Dosage Forms: n.a.
• Other Brand Names: Keytruda

Pembrolizumab injection is used to treat melanoma (a type of skin cancer) that has spread or cannot be removed by surgery.

Pembrolizumab injection is used alone to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has spread, whose tumors express PD-L1 and do not have an abnormal EGFR or ALK gene in patients who have not received other cancer treatment. It is also used alone to treat NSCLC that has spread, whose tumors express PD-L1 and have an abnormal EGFR or ALK gene in patients who have received other cancer medicines (eg, platinum) that did not work well. Pembrolizumab is also used in combination with pemetrexed and platinum-containing chemotherapy to treat NSCLC that has spread and whose tumors do not have an abnormal EGFR or ALK gene.

Pembrolizumab injection is also used to treat urothelial carcinoma (a type of urinary tract cancer) that has spread throughout the body (metastatic) or cannot be removed by surgery (advanced). Pembrolizumab is given to patients who are not able to receive cisplatin and whose tumors express PD-L1, patients who are not able to receive carboplatin or cisplatin, or patients who have received other cancer medicines (eg, platinum) that did not work well.

Pembrolizumab injection is also used to treat microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) solid tumor or colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon or rectum) that has spread or cannot be removed by surgery. It is given to patients who have received other cancer treatments (eg, fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, irinotecan) but did not work well.

Pembrolizumab is also used to treat head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) that has spread. It is only used after receiving platinum-containing chemotherapy. Pembrolizumab is also used to treat classical Hodgkin lymphoma in adults and children who have received other medicines that did not work well.

Pembrolizumab injection is used to treat primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) in patients who have tried a treatment that did not work, or whose PMBCL has returned after 2 or more previous lines of treatment.

Pembrolizumab injection is also used to treat a type of stomach cancer called gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma that has returned or spread, and whose tumors express PD-L1. It is given to patients who have received 2 or more types of cancer treatment (eg, fluoropyrimidine, platinum) but did not work well, or in patients with tumor that has an abnormal HER2/neu gene and have received a HER2/neu-targeted medicine but did not work well.

Pembrolizumab injection is used to treat cervical cancer that has returned or spread, and whose tumors express PD-L1.

Pembrolizumab is a monoclonal antibody that changes the immune system to help control the growth of cancer cells.

Pembrolizumab is to be given only by or under the immediate supervision of your doctor.