Keytruda (175,000 dollars per year) fights some cancers, Vitamin D reduces how much Keytruda is needed

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1 Selling Drug in the World: 27 Billion Dollars - Dr. Berg

5 minute video
0:00 Introduction: The number 1 selling drug in the world
0:35 Cancer drugs
1:09 What is Keytruda?
1:56 Immunomodulators and their side effects
3:12 Natural immunomodulators

In this video, we’re going to talk about the best-selling drug in the world: Keytruda.

Keytruda helps your immune system find and kill cancer cells. Keytruda is also used for autoimmune diseases and certain infections. Unlike chemotherapy, Keytruda helps kill cancer cells without killing your immune system.

Keytruda works through immunomodulation. Immunomodulators increase, decrease, or block your immune system.

Immunomodulator drugs have many side effects and don’t work on all types of cancer. Some cancers can become resistant to immunotherapy and stronger with treatment, a phenomenon similar to antibiotic resistance. Immunomodulator drugs don’t target the fuel for cancer or the raw materials necessary to build cancer cells.

There are many natural immunomodulators. In fact, drug companies use research on plant chemicals to develop over 50% of medications.

The following are natural immunomodulators:
• Astragalus
• Reishi mushrooms and other types of mushrooms
• Vitamin D

Dietary changes are also important. You need to eliminate foods that fuel cancer cells.

Fasting is the most powerful tool to starve off cancer. It’s also important to believe that you will overcome cancer. Mindset matters!

Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:
Dr. Berg, age 59, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book "The Healthy Keto Plan" and is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.

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VitaminDWiki – Cancer category contains:

• Cancer 284 items Overview Cancer and vitamin D
• Cancer and Vitamin D - many studies
• After Cancer Diagnosis 110 items
• Bladder Cancer 27 items
• Breast Cancer 252 items Overview Breast Cancer and Vitamin D
• Colon Cancer 141 items Overview Cancer-Colon and vitamin D
• Leukemia 19 items
• Liver Cancer 17 items
• Lung Cancer 54 items Overview Lung cancer and vitamin D
• Lymphoma Cancer 25 items
• Other Cancer 66 items
• Ovarian Cancer 25 items
• Pancreatic Cancer 55 items
• Prostate Cancer 101 items Overview Prostate Cancer and Vitamin D
• Skin Cancer 121 items Overview Suntan, melanoma and vitamin D
• Childhood Cancers - Vitamin D can help - many studies
• Easiest way to treat cancer – take Vitamin D – Nov 2022
• 13 Cancers are helped by Vitamin D – Biobank July 2023
• 2X increase of 14 cancers in non-seniors in 20 years (low vitamin D) – Sept 2022
• Vitamin D prevents and treats cancer in many ways – May 2021
• Those with recent cancer diagnosis had 7X increased risk of COVID-19 (more if A-A )- Dec 2020
• Deaths from many types of Cancer associated with low vitamin D- review of meta-analyses Sept 2020
• Cancer incidence and mortality is decreased if 40-60 ng of Vitamin D – April 2019
• 8 ways that Cancer might be prevented by Vitamin D - June 2019
• Cancer stem cells and Vitamin D - many studies
• Vitamin D Reduces Cancer Risk - Why Scientists Accept It but Physicians Do Not - Feb 2019
• Overview of Vitamin D Actions in Cancer – 31 page chapter in a book – 2018
• Vitamin D prevents breast cancer, reduces BC mortality, and reduces BC chemotherapy problems – Sept 2018
• Diagnosed with breast cancer – take vitamin D to cut chance of death by half – July 2018
• Melanoma 25 X more likely if low vitamin D – Feb 2018
• Better Cancer survival if higher vitamin D a decade earlier (esp. Melanoma, Kidney, Prostate)– Aug 2018

Cancers get less Vitamin D when there is a poor Vitamin D Receptor

• Vitamin D Receptor pages in VitaminDWiki with CANCER in title 86 as of July 2023
• Cancer and the Vitamin D Receptor, a primer – Sept 2017
• Vitamin D Receptor (Cancers OR Viruses) - many studies
• Risk of Cancer increased if poor Vitamin D Receptor – meta-analysis of 73 studies Jan 2016
• Cancer (general) and VDR 23 articles
• Breast Cancer and VDR 22 articles
• Colon Cancer and VDR 13 articles
• Prostate Cancer and VDR 7 articles
• Skin Cancer and VDR 10 articles
  • Note some Health problems, such as some Cancers, protect themselves
    by actively reducing Receptor activation

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VitaminDWiki – Cancer - After diagnosis category contains:

• Most cancers reduce vitamin D levels
• Most cancer treatments (chemo, radiation) further lower Vitamin D
• Higher levels of vitamin D minimize many side-effects of cancer therapy
• High levels of vitamin D augment many chemotherapies
• High levels of vitamin D augment cancer immunotherapies
• High levels of vitamin D can kill some cancer cells 1,720 items 12/2023
• Some cancers deactivate the vitamin D receptor

Example VitaminDWiki Studies

• Cancer and Vitamin D - many studies
• Easiest way to treat cancer – take Vitamin D – Nov 2022
• Even after a Cancer diagnosis Vitamin D improves survival – meta-analysis Aug 2022
• Vitamin D is synergistic with many Cancer therapies (radiation in this case) – Aug 2021
• Vitamin D prevents and treats cancer in many ways – May 2021
• Cancer patients need more vitamin D, even those who are supplementing – observational study June 2021
• Metastatic Cancer probably reduced by vitamin D - many studies
• Colorectal Cancer treatment aided by omega-3 plus weekly Vitamin D – RCT Sept 2019
• Radiation therapy, used to treat some cancers, causes less damage if use Vitamin D (or Melatonin) – Aug 2022
• Vitamin D is synergistic with many Cancer therapies (radiation in this case) – Aug 2021
• Vitamin D prevents and treats cancer in many ways – May 2021
• Palliative care is helped by Vitamin D - many studies
• 4X less of one chemo needed after vitamin D receptor activation - June 2020

Breast Cancer

• Breast Cancer survivors with high vitamin D were 3.3 X less likely to have metastases – May 2023
• Breast Cancer survival: 44% with just 10,000 IU of vitamin D per week, 33% with placebo – RCT Dec 2023
• Breast cancer recurred twice as often if have less than 20 ng of vitamin D – Dec 2018
• Breast Cancer chemotherapy 2.7 X more likely to be successful if not vitamin D deficient – Dec 2017

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Asked Perplexity AI: is there an association of Keytruda with vitamin d?

Answer

• Yes, there is an association between Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and vitamin D, particularly in the context of cancer treatment and the management of side effects related to immunotherapy. The sources provided highlight several key points regarding this association:
• Vitamin D Supplementation and Immunotherapy Outcomes: Systematic vitamin D supplementation is associated with improved outcomes in cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, including Keytruda. Patients receiving vitamin D supplementation experienced a significantly decreased risk of thyroid immune-related adverse events (irAEs) compared to those who did not receive supplementation
• Vitamin D Levels and Treatment Response: Maintaining normal vitamin D levels through supplementation may improve the response to immunotherapy in patients with advanced melanoma. Patients with normal vitamin D levels, either at baseline or achieved through supplementation, had a higher response rate to immunotherapy compared to those with low levels and no supplementation. This suggests that vitamin D supplementation could be beneficial for patients undergoing anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, such as Keytruda/
• Prevention of Immunotherapy-Induced Colitis: Vitamin D supplementation may help prevent a common side effect of anti-cancer immunotherapy, specifically immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced colitis. Studies have shown that patients who took vitamin D supplements had significantly lower odds of developing colitis, a severe adverse event associated with treatments like Keytruda
• Overall Importance of Vitamin D in Cancer Treatment: The research underscores the potential role of vitamin D in enhancing the effectiveness of immunotherapy treatments like Keytruda and in mitigating some of their side effects. Vitamin D's immunomodulatory effects and its impact on the immune system's ability to fight cancer are highlighted as reasons for these associations
• In summary, the association between Keytruda and vitamin D revolves around the potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation in improving treatment outcomes, reducing the risk of specific side effects, and supporting the immune system's response to cancer therapy.

Click here for References etc

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Asked Perplexity AI: What is the cost of Keytruda

• The cost of Keytruda (pembrolizumab) varies depending on several factors, including the dosage, treatment plan, and whether the patient has insurance coverage. Here are some specific details regarding the cost of Keytruda:
• The cost for Keytruda intravenous solution (25 mg/mL) is approximately $5,979 for a supply of 4 milliliters, based on cash-paying customers without insurance plans
• Merck's decision to adopt a flat dose of 200 mg for Keytruda in first-line non-small cell lung cancer, regardless of patient weight, could generate significant costs for the U.S. healthcare system, with an extra $825 million in costs for Keytruda alone, according to a study. An editorial suggested that the figure might be even higher, above $1 billion per year
• The list price for each indicated dose of Keytruda when given every 3 weeks is $11,337.36, and when given every 6 weeks, it is $22,674.72. However, most people will not pay the list price, as the amount depends on various factors, including insurance coverage
• For most people on Medicaid, patient out-of-pocket costs for prescription medicines like Keytruda range from $4 to $8 per infusion
• As of a report in 2023, Keytruda has a list price of $10,897.12 per dose every three weeks or $21,794.24 per dose every six weeks
• Merck's cancer drug Keytruda was on pace for $17 billion of sales, with a list price of almost $175,000 per year, and Merck had raised that price by another 2% in the month of the report
• These figures highlight the high cost of Keytruda, which can vary widely based on the specifics of a patient's treatment and insurance coverage.

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Suspect that Vitamin D will be found to treat Cancer BETTER than Keytruda at 1/1000 the cost

As with all other Vitamin D treatments for Cancer, high doses will be needed (perhaps 50,000 IU daily for several weeks)
   Dr. Berg also suggests fasting. Note: Vitamin D greatly improves weight loss during fasting

Suspect that Vitamin D will initially be used by individuals/countries that cannot afford Keytruda