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For certain adults with ccRCC at higher risk of cancer coming back after surgery

Navigating treatment with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX and WELIREG

ccRCC = renal cell carcinoma with a clear cell component, a type of kidney cancer.

Support as you start and continue treatment

Treatment can bring up questions. Having a plan can help you feel more prepared and know what to expect along the way. Use this page as a guide to help you stay on track during treatment with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX and WELIREG, prepare for your appointments and know why it’s important to speak up early and often about any new or changing side effects.

Making treatment part of your routine

Since treatment follows a set schedule, having a consistent routine can help you feel more organized. It may help you keep track of when to take WELIREG during the day and when to schedule your KEYTRUDA infusion or KEYTRUDA QLEX injection appointments.

Here are some tips:
Set reminders

Use reminders to help keep track of your treatment and appointments.

For WELIREG, set a daily alarm on your phone or another smart device to help remind you to take it on time each day.

For KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX, add calendar reminders to keep track of your infusion or injection appointments.

Pair it with your routine

Try connecting your treatment to a regular part of your week or day.

For WELIREG, take it at the same time as something you already do every day, like brushing your teeth or getting ready in the morning.

For KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX, try scheduling your infusion or injection appointments on the same day of the week.

Build your support network

Consider asking family or friends if they can help you set up a phone chain, where one person calls or texts you each day. This can help remind you to take your medication, keep track of your infusion or injection schedule, and stay connected to the people you love.

Click the button below to download the “Build Your Support Community” guide to help determine your needs and identify people you can reach out to for support.

Build Your Support Community PDF

Preparing for your first infusion or injection appointment

When starting a new medication, it can be reassuring to know what to expect. Read below to learn what happens at your first infusion or injection appointment and some practical tips to help you prepare.

  • Know your arrival time and how long it may take
  • Arrange transportation
  • Check where to park or where to be dropped off
  • Bring your list of current medications and insurance cards
  • Complete any paperwork ahead of time
  • Have your questions ready

Wear comfortable clothes that make it easy for you to receive treatment.

  • For an infusion, wear a shirt with sleeves that can be easily rolled up so an intravenous (IV) line can be placed in your arm
  • For an injection, wear loose-fitting clothing that allows access to your stomach area and thighs
  • Bring or wear layers, in case the treatment center is too hot or cold

  • A water bottle to help you stay hydrated
  • Healthy snacks
  • A pillow and/or blanket
  • A portable charger for your phone or tablet
  • Something to pass the time, such as a book, phone, or tablet

  • Make sure you ask what side effects to watch for, how to track them and when to reach out to your health care team
  • Ask about your next appointment and any other questions you may have

Tracking and talking about side effects with your doctor

During treatment, side effects may happen. Paying attention to how you feel can help you notice changes early and share them with your care team.

Even before your first treatment, write down how you feel physically and emotionally. This will help you recognize if you start to feel anything out of the ordinary. Keep these key things in mind:

  • Consider downloading an app to your phone by searching key phrases like “side effects tracker” to make tracking easy
  • Talk to your doctor about what you can expect from treatment
  • Write down how you are feeling early and often

Use these suggestions as a starting point for writing down how you are feeling:

  • The date you’re feeling a symptom
  • What your symptom is and/or how you feel overall
  • What your energy level and/or mood is like
  • How your doctor suggests you can manage the symptom

You should speak up immediately if you feel something new or different.

Calling or talking to a member of your cancer care team may keep your side effects from getting more serious. It may also enable your doctor to help you manage any side effects with medication.

Questions to ask your care team

  • What should I expect at the start of treatment?
  • How will I get the treatment?
  • How long will I be on treatment?
  • Where will I get treatment?
  • What side effects should I watch for?
  • When should I call the care team?
  • What can help me stay organized during treatment?
  • Will I be able to work while I’m on treatment?

Support is available

You do not have to manage treatment alone. Your care team can answer questions, explain what to expect, and support you throughout treatment. You can also find local resources through organizations.

Find helpful resources and support

You also might be interested in:

WELIREG is a prescription medicine used to treat a type of kidney cancer called renal cell carcinoma with a clear cell component (ccRCC) in adults, with the medicine KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX, who are at intermediate-high or high risk of kidney cancer coming back after surgery to:

  • remove all or part of the kidney, or
  • remove all or part of the kidney and also surgery to remove cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic lesions).

It is not known if WELIREG is safe and effective in children with ccRCC.

It is not known if KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX are safe and effective for this use in children.

WELIREG can cause serious side effects. WELIREG can cause harm to your unborn baby.

  • A pregnancy test will be done before you start treatment.
  • Birth control methods that contain hormones may not work as well during treatment.
  • Females and males with female partners who can become pregnant should use an effective form of non-hormonal birth control (contraception) during treatment and for 1 week after your last dose.

WELIREG can cause serious side effects, including:

Low red blood cell counts (anemia). Low red blood cell counts can be severe. You may need a blood transfusion if your red blood cell counts drop too low. Your health care provider will do blood tests to check your red blood cell counts before you start and during treatment with WELIREG. Tell your health care provider if you get any symptoms of low red blood cell counts, including tiredness, feeling cold, shortness of breath, chest pain, or fast heartbeat.

Low oxygen levels in your body. WELIREG can cause low oxygen levels in your body that can be severe and may require you to stop treatment with WELIREG, receive oxygen therapy, or be hospitalized. Your health care provider will monitor your oxygen levels before you start and during treatment with WELIREG. Tell your health care provider or get medical help right away if you get symptoms of low oxygen in your body, including shortness of breath or increased heart rate.

Harm to your unborn baby. Treatment with WELIREG during pregnancy can cause harm to your unborn baby.

Females who are able to become pregnant:

  • Your health care provider will do a pregnancy test before you start treatment with WELIREG.
  • You should use an effective form of non-hormonal birth control (contraception) during treatment with WELIREG and for 1 week after your last dose.
  • Birth control methods that contain hormones (such as birth control pills, injections, or transdermal system patches) may not work as well during treatment with WELIREG.
  • Talk to your health care provider about birth control methods that may be right for you during treatment with WELIREG.
  • Tell your health care provider right away if you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant during treatment with WELIREG.

Males with female partners who are able to become pregnant:

  • You should use effective birth control (contraception) during treatment with WELIREG and for 1 week after your last dose.
  • Tell your health care provider right away if your partner becomes pregnant or thinks she is pregnant while you are taking WELIREG.

Before taking WELIREG, tell your health care provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

  • have low red blood cell counts (anemia)
  • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if WELIREG passes into your breast milk. Do not breastfeed during treatment with WELIREG and for 1 week after your last dose.

Tell your health care provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Taking WELIREG with certain other medicines can affect each other and cause serious side effects and may affect the way certain other medicines work.

The most common side effects of WELIREG when taken with KEYTRUDA in adults with ccRCC include:

  • low red blood cell counts
  • increased blood liver enzymes (liver function tests)
  • tiredness
  • decreased white blood cell counts

Your health care provider may change your dose, temporarily stop, or permanently stop treatment with WELIREG if you get certain side effects.

WELIREG may cause fertility problems in males and females, which may affect your ability to have children. Talk to your health care provider if this is a concern for you.

These are not all of the possible side effects of WELIREG. Call your health care provider for medical advice about side effects.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please read the accompanying Medication Guide for WELIREG, including an important warning about harm to an unborn baby, and discuss it with your doctor. The physician Prescribing Information also is available.

Do not receive KEYTRUDA QLEX if you are allergic to berahyaluronidase, hyaluronidase or any of the inactive ingredients in KEYTRUDA QLEX.

KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX are medicines that may treat certain cancers by working with your immune system. KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in any area of your body and can affect the way they work. These problems can sometimes become severe or life-threatening and can lead to death. You can have more than one of these problems at the same time. These problems may happen any time during treatment or even after your treatment has ended.

Call or see your health care provider right away if you develop any signs or symptoms of the following problems or if they get worse. These are not all of the signs and symptoms of immune system problems that can happen with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX:

Lung problems: cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain.

Intestinal problems: diarrhea (loose stools) or more frequent bowel movements than usual; stools that are black, tarry, sticky, or have blood or mucus; or severe stomach-area (abdomen) pain or tenderness.

Liver problems: yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes; severe nausea or vomiting; pain on the right side of your stomach area (abdomen); dark urine (tea colored); or bleeding or bruising more easily than normal.

Hormone gland problems: headaches that will not go away or unusual headaches; eye sensitivity to light; eye problems; rapid heartbeat; increased sweating; extreme tiredness; weight gain or weight loss; feeling more hungry or thirsty than usual; urinating more often than usual; hair loss; feeling cold; constipation; your voice gets deeper; dizziness or fainting; changes in mood or behavior, such as decreased sex drive, irritability, or forgetfulness.

Kidney problems: decrease in the amount of your urine; blood in your urine; swelling of your ankles; loss of appetite.

Skin problems: rash; itching; skin blistering or peeling; painful sores or ulcers in your mouth or in your nose, throat, or genital area; fever or flu-like symptoms; swollen lymph nodes.

Problems can also happen in other organs and tissues. Signs and symptoms of these problems may include: chest pain; irregular heartbeat; shortness of breath; swelling of ankles; confusion; sleepiness; memory problems; changes in mood or behavior; stiff neck; balance problems; tingling or numbness of the arms or legs; double vision; blurry vision; sensitivity to light; eye pain; changes in eyesight; persistent or severe muscle pain or weakness; muscle cramps; low red blood cells; bruising.

Infusion, injection-related, and allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe or life-threatening. Signs and symptoms of infusion, injection-related, and allergic reactions may include chills or shaking, itching or rash, flushing, shortness of breath or wheezing, dizziness, feeling like passing out, fever, and back pain.

Rejection of a transplanted organ or tissue. Your health care provider should tell you what signs and symptoms you should report and they will monitor you, depending on the type of organ or tissue transplant that you have had.

Complications, including graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), in people who have received a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic). These complications can be serious and can lead to death. These complications may happen if you underwent transplantation either before or after being treated with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX. Your health care provider will monitor you for these complications.

Getting medical treatment right away may help keep these problems from becoming more serious. Your health care provider will check you for these problems during treatment with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX. They may treat you with corticosteroid or hormone replacement medicines. They may also need to delay or completely stop treatment with KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX if you have severe side effects.

Before you receive KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX, tell your health care provider if you have immune system problems such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or lupus; have had an organ or tissue transplant, including corneal transplant, or have had or plan to have a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic); have had radiation treatment in your chest area; have a condition that affects your nervous system, such as myasthenia gravis or Guillain-Barré syndrome.

If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, tell your health care provider. KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX can harm your unborn baby. If you are able to become pregnant, you will be given a pregnancy test before you start treatment. Use effective birth control during treatment with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX and for 4 months after your last dose of KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX. Tell them right away if you think you may be pregnant or you become pregnant during treatment with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX.

Tell your health care provider if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX passes into your breast milk. Do not breastfeed during treatment with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX and for 4 months after your last dose of KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX.

Tell your health care provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

The most common side effects of KEYTRUDA QLEX when given with certain chemotherapy medicines include nausea; tiredness; and muscle, bone, and joint pain.

The most common side effects observed with KEYTRUDA when given with WELIREG, which may be experienced with KEYTRUDA QLEX, include low red blood cell count, increased blood liver enzymes, feeling tired, and decreased white blood cell counts.

These are not all the possible side effects of KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX. Talk to your health care provider for medical advice about side effects.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please read the accompanying Medication Guide for KEYTRUDA and discuss it with your doctor. The physician Prescribing Information also is available.

Please read the accompanying Medication Guide for KEYTRUDA QLEX and discuss it with your doctor. The physician Prescribing Information also is available.

FDA-Approved Indication

WELIREG is a prescription medicine used to treat a type of kidney cancer called renal cell carcinoma with a clear cell component (ccRCC) in adults, with the medicine KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX, who are at intermediate-high or high risk of kidney cancer coming back after surgery to:

  • remove all or part of the kidney, or
  • remove all or part of the kidney and also surgery to remove cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic lesions).

It is not known if WELIREG is safe and effective in children with ccRCC.

It is not known if KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX are safe and effective for this use in children.

Important Safety Information for WELIREG

WELIREG can cause serious side effects. WELIREG can cause harm to your unborn baby.

  • A pregnancy test will be done before you start treatment.
  • Birth control methods that contain hormones may not work as well during treatment.
  • Females and males with female partners who can become pregnant should use an effective form of non-hormonal birth control (contraception) during treatment and for 1 week after your last dose.

WELIREG can cause serious side effects, including:

Low red blood cell counts (anemia). Low red blood cell counts can be severe. You may need a blood transfusion if your red blood cell counts drop too low. Your health care provider will do blood tests to check your red blood cell counts before you start and during treatment with WELIREG. Tell your health care provider if you get any symptoms of low red blood cell counts, including tiredness, feeling cold, shortness of breath, chest pain, or fast heartbeat.

Low oxygen levels in your body. WELIREG can cause low oxygen levels in your body that can be severe and may require you to stop treatment with WELIREG, receive oxygen therapy, or be hospitalized. Your health care provider will monitor your oxygen levels before you start and during treatment with WELIREG. Tell your health care provider or get medical help right away if you get symptoms of low oxygen in your body, including shortness of breath or increased heart rate.

Harm to your unborn baby. Treatment with WELIREG during pregnancy can cause harm to your unborn baby.

Females who are able to become pregnant:

  • Your health care provider will do a pregnancy test before you start treatment with WELIREG.
  • You should use an effective form of non-hormonal birth control (contraception) during treatment with WELIREG and for 1 week after your last dose.
  • Birth control methods that contain hormones (such as birth control pills, injections, or transdermal system patches) may not work as well during treatment with WELIREG.
  • Talk to your health care provider about birth control methods that may be right for you during treatment with WELIREG.
  • Tell your health care provider right away if you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant during treatment with WELIREG.

Males with female partners who are able to become pregnant:

  • You should use effective birth control (contraception) during treatment with WELIREG and for 1 week after your last dose.
  • Tell your health care provider right away if your partner becomes pregnant or thinks she is pregnant while you are taking WELIREG.

Before taking WELIREG, tell your health care provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

  • have low red blood cell counts (anemia)
  • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if WELIREG passes into your breast milk. Do not breastfeed during treatment with WELIREG and for 1 week after your last dose.

Tell your health care provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Taking WELIREG with certain other medicines can affect each other and cause serious side effects and may affect the way certain other medicines work.

The most common side effects of WELIREG when taken with KEYTRUDA in adults with ccRCC include:

  • low red blood cell counts
  • increased blood liver enzymes (liver function tests)
  • tiredness
  • decreased white blood cell counts

Your health care provider may change your dose, temporarily stop, or permanently stop treatment with WELIREG if you get certain side effects.

WELIREG may cause fertility problems in males and females, which may affect your ability to have children. Talk to your health care provider if this is a concern for you.

These are not all of the possible side effects of WELIREG. Call your health care provider for medical advice about side effects.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please read the accompanying Medication Guide for WELIREG, including an important warning about harm to an unborn baby, and discuss it with your doctor. The physician Prescribing Information also is available.

Important Safety Information for KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX

Do not receive KEYTRUDA QLEX if you are allergic to berahyaluronidase, hyaluronidase or any of the inactive ingredients in KEYTRUDA QLEX.

KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX are medicines that may treat certain cancers by working with your immune system. KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in any area of your body and can affect the way they work. These problems can sometimes become severe or life-threatening and can lead to death. You can have more than one of these problems at the same time. These problems may happen any time during treatment or even after your treatment has ended.

Call or see your health care provider right away if you develop any signs or symptoms of the following problems or if they get worse. These are not all of the signs and symptoms of immune system problems that can happen with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX:

Lung problems: cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain.

Intestinal problems: diarrhea (loose stools) or more frequent bowel movements than usual; stools that are black, tarry, sticky, or have blood or mucus; or severe stomach-area (abdomen) pain or tenderness.

Liver problems: yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes; severe nausea or vomiting; pain on the right side of your stomach area (abdomen); dark urine (tea colored); or bleeding or bruising more easily than normal.

Hormone gland problems: headaches that will not go away or unusual headaches; eye sensitivity to light; eye problems; rapid heartbeat; increased sweating; extreme tiredness; weight gain or weight loss; feeling more hungry or thirsty than usual; urinating more often than usual; hair loss; feeling cold; constipation; your voice gets deeper; dizziness or fainting; changes in mood or behavior, such as decreased sex drive, irritability, or forgetfulness.

Kidney problems: decrease in the amount of your urine; blood in your urine; swelling of your ankles; loss of appetite.

Skin problems: rash; itching; skin blistering or peeling; painful sores or ulcers in your mouth or in your nose, throat, or genital area; fever or flu-like symptoms; swollen lymph nodes.

Problems can also happen in other organs and tissues. Signs and symptoms of these problems may include: chest pain; irregular heartbeat; shortness of breath; swelling of ankles; confusion; sleepiness; memory problems; changes in mood or behavior; stiff neck; balance problems; tingling or numbness of the arms or legs; double vision; blurry vision; sensitivity to light; eye pain; changes in eyesight; persistent or severe muscle pain or weakness; muscle cramps; low red blood cells; bruising.

Infusion, injection-related, and allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe or life-threatening. Signs and symptoms of infusion, injection-related, and allergic reactions may include chills or shaking, itching or rash, flushing, shortness of breath or wheezing, dizziness, feeling like passing out, fever, and back pain.

Rejection of a transplanted organ or tissue. Your health care provider should tell you what signs and symptoms you should report and they will monitor you, depending on the type of organ or tissue transplant that you have had.

Complications, including graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), in people who have received a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic). These complications can be serious and can lead to death. These complications may happen if you underwent transplantation either before or after being treated with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX. Your health care provider will monitor you for these complications.

Getting medical treatment right away may help keep these problems from becoming more serious. Your health care provider will check you for these problems during treatment with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX. They may treat you with corticosteroid or hormone replacement medicines. They may also need to delay or completely stop treatment with KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX if you have severe side effects.

Before you receive KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX, tell your health care provider if you have immune system problems such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or lupus; have had an organ or tissue transplant, including corneal transplant, or have had or plan to have a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic); have had radiation treatment in your chest area; have a condition that affects your nervous system, such as myasthenia gravis or Guillain-Barré syndrome.

If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, tell your health care provider. KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX can harm your unborn baby. If you are able to become pregnant, you will be given a pregnancy test before you start treatment. Use effective birth control during treatment with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX and for 4 months after your last dose of KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX. Tell them right away if you think you may be pregnant or you become pregnant during treatment with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX.

Tell your health care provider if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX passes into your breast milk. Do not breastfeed during treatment with KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX and for 4 months after your last dose of KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX.

Tell your health care provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

The most common side effects of KEYTRUDA QLEX when given with certain chemotherapy medicines include nausea; tiredness; and muscle, bone, and joint pain.

The most common side effects observed with KEYTRUDA when given with WELIREG, which may be experienced with KEYTRUDA QLEX, include low red blood cell count, increased blood liver enzymes, feeling tired, and decreased white blood cell counts.

These are not all the possible side effects of KEYTRUDA or KEYTRUDA QLEX. Talk to your health care provider for medical advice about side effects.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please read the accompanying Medication Guide for KEYTRUDA and discuss it with your doctor. The physician Prescribing Information also is available.

Please read the accompanying Medication Guide for KEYTRUDA QLEX and discuss it with your doctor. The physician Prescribing Information also is available.