Pembrolizumab has been registered in SA for two types of cancers. The first is a type of lung cancer, called non-small cell lung cancer. It’s registered for patients who have failed or     progressed after initial treatment, such as chemotherapy. Usually the drug works better if the expression of PD-L1 (programmed cell death ligand-1) on the cancer is more than 51% as shown in clinical trials. The amount of PD-L1 on the…

What is an autologous stem cell transplant? An autologous stem cell transplant is also known as high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue. The word autologous (of cells and tissues) means obtained from the same individual. Not from a donor. The cells of the individual are collected in advance and stored. Then after high-dose chemotherapy is given to treat the underlying disease, the cells are returned to ‘rescue’ the patient’s bone marrow. What illnesses are autologous stem cell transplant used for? An autologous…