Pemetrexed (Alimta®) for Lung Cancer
Pemetrexed (Alimta) is a type of chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat lung cancer. Pemetrexed helps destroy cancer cells and shrink tumors, giving patients a better chance of living longer. Learn more about pemetrexed for lung cancer and how to get help affording care.
What Is Pemetrexed for Lung Cancer?
Pemetrexed (also known by its brand name Alimta) is an anti-cancer chemotherapy drug used in many treatment plans.
It treats lung cancer by preventing malignant cells from making and repairing DNA. In turn, this causes lung cancer tumors to stop growing or even shrink. Some patients will be cancer-free for months or even years after receiving pemetrexed and other treatments.
Key Facts About Pemetrexed
- How it’s used: Doctors provide pemetrexed with other types of chemotherapy (most notably cisplatin), surgery, radiation, immunotherapy, and more to help patients live longer.
- Potential side effects: Patients may develop nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and more since pemetrexed kills cancerous and healthy cells.
- When it’s used: Doctors can use pemetrexed to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Get our Free Lung Cancer Guide to learn more about treatments like pemetrexed that could help you live longer and how to afford them.
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How Does Pemetrexed for Lung Cancer Work?
Pemetrexed is an antifolate, meaning it blocks enzymes called folates that lung cancer cells use to produce DNA and make new cells.
Because this process is interrupted, lung cancer cells have a harder time developing into malignant tumors. Existing tumors will hopefully stop growing, shrink, or disappear completely after a patient receives pemetrexed.
Like other chemotherapy drugs, pemetrexed circulates throughout the body to target as many lung cancer cells as possible.
Pemetrexed in Lung Cancer Treatment Plans
Doctors can use pemetrexed in a variety of ways to help treat lung cancer and mesothelioma (cancer of the body’s internal lining). In most cases, it is a first-line treatment (the initial one used) and combined with other therapies.
Pemetrexed may be used:
- Before or after surgeries: Doctors may recommend pemetrexed to help shrink tumors prior to a lung cancer surgery or after to kill leftover cancer cells.
- With other chemotherapies: Combining pemetrexed with other chemotherapies like cisplatin, carboplatin, or gemcitabine can improve its effectiveness.
- With other treatments: Pemetrexed can be used alongside radiation (energy rays that shrink lung cancer tumors), immunotherapy (medication that helps the immune system fight cancer), and more.
- With a maintenance treatment plan: This helps prevent the cancer from coming back. Pemetrexed may be used as a maintenance therapy following a main course of treatment.
“For nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer, we do like to consider maintenance treatment if the patient is getting a platinum-based chemotherapy with pemetrexed. Usually after 4-6 cycles, in patients who have stable disease or a response, I like to give maintenance pemetrexed.”
— Dr. Anne Tsao, lung cancer and mesothelioma specialist
Your lung cancer doctor can help determine if and how pemetrexed fits into your treatment plan.
Call (877) 446-5767 now to explore lung cancer treatments like pemetrexed and how you may be able to cover your medical bills.
Side Effects of Pemetrexed
Pemetrexed comes with a risk of side effects and adverse events for lung cancer patients because it may harm healthy parts of the body while killing cancer.
Potential side effects include:
- Anemia (especially in older adults)
- Blood pressure changes
- Chest tightness
- Difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Hair loss
- Hearing and vision issues
- Inflammation
- Limb swelling
- Loss of consciousness or fainting
- Nausea and vomiting
- Pain
- Skin rash
- Weight gain
There is also a serious risk of hematologic (blood-related) issues. These include neutropenia (loss of white blood cells that leads to aches and fever) and bruising, bleeding, and nosebleeds caused by low blood platelet levels.
Your health care provider can help you or someone you love manage any side effects of pemetrexed. For example, medications can be provided to ease pain and nausea stemming from toxicity. Penn Medicine also notes that diet changes like avoiding greasy foods can ease pemetrexed side effects.
What to Expect During Pemetrexed Treatment Sessions
Pemetrexed and other lung cancer chemotherapy drugs are typically given in cycles. During a cycle, you’ll receive a dose of pemetrexed intravenously (through an IV) and then have a rest period of 3-4 weeks before receiving another dose.
Generally speaking, you can expect the following:
- Pre-treatment preparation: Doctors will assess your diagnosis and overall health to ensure pemetrexed is the best treatment option for you. Then, you’ll receive pre-treatment steroid medication called dexamethasone and vitamin B-12, the latter of which will help decrease potential side effects.
- Infusion process: Pemetrexed is administered into your IV for a 10-minute period. Your specific dosage will depend on your weight and height.
- Monitoring and post-treatment care: Following the infusion, your doctors will monitor you to make sure you don’t experience any severe complications. You and your loved one should also make preparations to recover and manage side effects like fatigue at home.
Get our Free Lung Cancer Guide to learn more about lung cancer therapies like pemetrexed and how to find the best treatments for your case.
- Understand risk factors
- Find top treatments
- Pursue compensation
Lung Cancer Prognosis and Life Expectancy With Pemetrexed
Pemetrexed can greatly improve lung cancer prognosis (health outlook), especially when combined with other treatments since tumors stop growing or decrease in size.
Here’s how pemetrexed boosts overall survival:
- Life expectancy: Patients lived for 15.9 months in a 2024 study from The Journal of Clinical Oncology when treated with pemetrexed, cisplatin, and an immunotherapy called pembrolizumab (Keytruda®).
- Survival rate: In a 2023 study published by The Journal of Clinical Oncology, the 5-year survival rate of nonsquamous NSCLC patients treated with pemetrexed and either cisplatin or carboplatin was 11.3%. When Keytruda was added, the 5-year survival rate jumped to 19.4%.
Pemetrexed is useful even when metastasis (spread of lung cancer to other parts of the body) has occurred. In a 2023 study published in Clinical Lung Cancer, pemetrexed helped lung adenocarcinoma patients whose cancer had spread to the lining of the brain and spinal cord live for 9.5 months on average.
Each lung cancer patient is different. How long you’ll live after receiving pemetrexed depends on your unique response rate (how the cancer shrinks following treatment).
Clinical Research on Pemetrexed for Lung Cancer
Doctors and researchers continue to study new and more effective ways to use pemetrexed in treating lung cancer through clinical trials. In most trials, pemetrexed is combined with several other treatments to kill as much of the cancer as possible.
Recent and ongoing clinical trials involving pemetrexed include:
- AMIGO 1 study: This phase II trial is studying how using pemetrexed and the immunotherapy drugs amivantamab and lazertinib can help patients with recurrent or metastatic NSCLC.
- Radioimmunotherapy versus Chemoimmunotherapy study: Doctors want to know if using an immunotherapy called cemiplimab with either radiation or pemetrexed and cisplatin before surgery can help lung cancer patients.
- QL2107 study: Doctors will study how using a new drug called QL2107 with pemetrexed and cisplatin compares to Keytruda with chemotherapy in improving progression-free survival and overall life expectancy of advanced NSCLC patients. Results are expected in 2026.
Your lung cancer specialist can determine if you qualify to join a clinical trial testing pemetrexed or other treatments.
Cost of Pemetrexed Chemotherapy for Lung Cancer
The average cost of pemetrexed chemotherapy can be incredibly expensive, particularly without insurance.
One dose costs over $2,900 as of 2022 and the price rises every year. This figure doesn’t include other expenses such as hospital stays, additional treatments, and travel bills. The total cost of treating lung cancer can be tens of thousands of dollars.
Thankfully, financial assistance is often available for lung cancer patients. Lung Cancer Group can help determine if you qualify for compensation. Get a Free Case Review right now to start the process.
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Learn If Pemetrexed Is Right for Your Lung Cancer Diagnosis
If you or a loved one has lung cancer, pemetrexed might be able to increase your life expectancy by shrinking cancer tumors.
In fact, many medical oncology teams will recommend the use of pemetrexed in treating lung cancer, typically alongside other therapies.
While a lung cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming, you are not alone. Lung Cancer Group is committed to assisting patients and families by providing information about treatments and helping them seek compensation.
Call (877) 446-5767 or Get a Free Lung Cancer Guide now to explore how we can assist you or someone you love.
Pemetrexed for Lung Cancer FAQs
What are the side effects of pemetrexed?
Common side effects of pemetrexed include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Hearing or vision problems
- Low blood pressure
- Nausea and vomiting
Your health care providers will closely monitor you as you undergo a pemetrexed treatment regimen and help manage any side effects you experience.
Will I lose my hair on pemetrexed?
You may lose some hair while on pemetrexed, but it will grow back once treatment has stopped. If you’re concerned about losing your hair while receiving pemetrexed for lung cancer, talk to your doctor.
Why do you need B12 with pemetrexed?
You need B12 with pemetrexed for lung cancer to help keep severe side effects at bay. B12 replenishes blood cell counts, which could diminish as a result of pemetrexed treatment.
Common side effects of pemetrexed linked to blood abnormalities include nosebleeds, aches, fever, and more.
What is the success rate of pemetrexed chemotherapy?
Pemetrexed for lung cancer has a very high success rate, with many patients living longer whether it’s used as a main treatment or as maintenance therapy to prevent recurrence.
For example, a 2021 report published in The Journal of Thoracic Disease found that pemetrexed maintenance therapy controlled NSCLC spread in nearly 99% of patients. Additionally, the cancer shrank in almost 50% of patients.
Contact us now to learn more about treatments like pemetrexed that could help you or a loved one with lung cancer and explore financial options to afford care.
Can pemetrexed improve your quality of life with lung cancer?
Yes, pemetrexed can improve your quality of life by reducing the size of the cancerous tumor. This, in turn, can relieve symptoms, such as difficulty breathing.
Pemetrexed does cause a range of side effects, but most aren’t long-term. Your doctor can give you a better idea of what to expect before you undergo pemetrexed treatment for lung cancer.
