How Immunotherapy Extended President Jimmy Carter’s Life

Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, passed away on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100 in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. The former U.S. president had been in hospice care since February 2023 following declining health.  

In August of 2015, President Carter discovered that he had a melanoma lesion on his liver. Though this initial mass was removed, it was subsequently discovered to have spread across four different areas in his brain.  

President Carter’s doctors took a bold initiative in treating his cancer. An immunotherapy treatment, pembrolizumab (Keytruda®), had only earned U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2014, the year before his diagnosis.  

Leading up to its FDA approval, Keytruda® proved very effective in combating advanced melanoma. Following four rounds of Keytruda® treatment in tandem with radiation therapy, his doctors declared that President Carter no longer had metastasized melanoma.  

Over the past decade, immunotherapy has been catapulted in the public consciousness as an innovative avenue for treating cancer, due in large part to President Carter’s successful treatment. His courage to be so public with his cancer diagnosis was instrumental in introducing immunotherapy to the broader public. To see a prominent figure in his 90s receive such an innovative, forward-looking treatment opened the eyes of many doctors, patients, caregivers, and families.  

In fact, Matilde Quintana and Barbara Bigelow, both CRI ImmunoAdvocates who share their stories of survival and who speak with current cancer patients, have stated that they learned about the potential benefits of immunotherapy for their own cancer diagnoses, after learning about President Carter’s successful treatment. 

Since President Carter’s treatment with Keytruda®, the field of immunotherapy has rapidly advanced. Today, 45% of newly diagnosed cancer patients are eligible for this approach. Just one year after his treatment, CRI launched its first Immunotherapy Patient Summit in 2016, linking patients and caregivers with clinical trials and experts. By June 2024, the drug achieved its 40th FDA approval. 

President Carter’s remarkable journey—from cancer diagnosis to recovery—helped transform the conversation around immunotherapy, offering hope to millions facing similar battles. His openness about his treatment not only elevated awareness but also underscored the life-saving potential of cutting-edge science. As immunotherapy continues to advance, President Carter’s legacy endures—not only as a champion of human rights and public service but also as a symbol of resilience and the possibilities unlocked by modern medicine. 

*This story will be updated.