Hi all
I’ve just finished 6 months of chemo and immunotherapy (pembro) and next up is surgery, radio etc. I’m also carrying on immunotherapy for another 6 months. Can anyone advise on how immunotherapy alone is? Will I feel sick? Fatigue? I’m looking forward to a quick 30 min infusion after the long days of chemo I’m used to but have no idea how I’ll feel afterwards with the Pembro alone.
Thanks
Most of the side effects you experienced first time around would be from the chemo rather than the pembro.
Pembro is a PD-1 inhibitor. It stops the PD-1 protein on the Tcells in your immune system from binding with the PD-L1 protein on your tumour cells. This allows your immune system to ‘see’ the cancer. The risk with immunotherapy like pembro is that your body uses the PD-1/PD-L1 mechanism to create safe zones around critical organs. Pembro breaks this down too, so sometimes this leads the immune system to attack healthy cells elsewhere. I got an acute kidney injury and thyroid damage through pembro - but it also put my metastatic TNBC into remission.
You should be monitored carefully but contact your hotline if anything seems wrong. If you get an immunotherapy related adverse event, the critical thing is to start high dose steroid treatment promptly.
Hi @filibuster64 
Yay for finishing chemo! I didn’t have immunotherapy on its own as I stopped early due to complications, but speaking to other people they have said they only really have fatigue/tiredness as a symptom after immuno on its own. Make sure your thyroid levels are being constantly checked, and your cortisol at 8.30/9am. Vitamin D levels too are worth checking throughout.
Wishing you all the best 
I had side effects with chemo + pembro, but when I switched to pembro alone I had no side effects at all. I hope it works for you and you feel well on it.
Lisa x
Hi My partner is having immunotherapy once every 2 weeks. he’s usually a bit tired the day after, so we only do light stuff then. Like chemo it does affect his taste in the first 5 days, and like the chemo i had i just advised him to continue eating what he knows he likes and ignore no taste.
After his first treatment, he did have ana llergic reaction, but never again, and he did have issue with his lymph, in that one of his ankles swelled up. subsequently I’ve got him on the Lymphodema clinic and now he wear compression socks to combat this. although he should wear them daily, he gets away with only every other day 7 days after treatment, but thats between you and me.
I wouldn’t bank on a quick 30 min infusion, as often it depends when the drugs arrive and when you get connected, as is often the case if being treated at a CHristies hospital on the wards, however if you are able to be treated at a local hospice, then you have a chance of being in and out sooner. To be doubly safe i wouldn’t advise driving yourself, until you know just how your body is going to react. Hope this helps, Moonsox xxxx