Questions to Ask Your Doctor
Once you have received a prostate cancer diagnosis, you should learn all you can about prostate cancer. Being well-informed will help you work with your doctor to find the best treatment. Some questions to ask your doctor include:
Print out the questions to take with you to your next doctor’s visit.- Is it likely that the cancer has spread beyond my prostate gland? If so, is it curable?
- What is the grade and clinical stage of my cancer; what do those mean for me?
- Is radiation and/or surgery the best treatment for me? Why?
- Could other treatments be better for me? Why?
- What are the advantages or disadvantages to medical vs surgical therapies?
- What is watchful waiting? Which course of action do you recommend?
- What are the risks and side effects I might expect from these treatments?
- What are the chances that I will have incontinence or impotence problems? Are treatments available for these?
- How long will my treatment take?
- Will my treatment have any long-term side effects?
- What are the chances of the cancer recurring after treatment?
- Based on clinical stage and grade of my cancer, what is my expected survival rate?
- Should I follow a special diet or lifestyle? Should I continue my normal daily activities?
- Can you help me understand what may be contributing to my tumor’s growth?
- What are the symptoms or signs that may show the cancer has returned or spread?
Print a list of these questions to take with you and discuss with your doctor.
Indication
Trelstar® is indicated for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
Important Safety Information
After your first injection of Trelstar®, you might feel a temporary increase in your cancer symptoms, such as pain in your bones, nerve disorder, blood in your urine, blockage in the canals leaving your bladder, or pressure in the spinal cord that may lead to weakness or paralysis with or without fatal complications. This is because the amount of testosterone in your bloodstream actually goes up for a short period after the injection. If your symptoms increase later than the first week or two following an injection, tell your doctor. The most common side effects that patients taking Trelstar® have are actually the effect of lowering testosterone levels. The most common effect of lowering testosterone is hot flushes or flashes. These are like the hot flashes women have around the time of menopause. Other side effects include bone pain, impotence (sexual side effect), tissue breakdown in the testicles, headache, leg pain, and swelling in the legs. Women who are or may become pregnant and those who are allergic to this type of drug should not take Trelstar®. A severe potentially fatal form of shock, hyper allergic response, and allergic swelling related to Trelstar® have been reported. For more information on these and other side effects, please talk to your doctor.
