TRELSTAR - Understanding Prostate Cancer

If you, or someone you know has prostate cancer, know that you are not alone. As of 2005 over 2 million American men are estimated to be living with prostate cancer. There are a number of support groups and sources of information that are also available that can help you during this time.

The good news is that, generally, since prostate cancer is mostly slow-moving, nearly all (99%) men who are diagnosed with it survive at least five years following their diagnosis. The great majority (92%) live at least a decade, and the majority (61%) are still alive 15 or more years later. Also, the vast majority (86%) of prostate cancers are found while still being contained within the prostate or only in nearby areas. For these men, there is nearly a 100% five-year survival rate. While autopsies have shown that many older men who died of other causes also had prostate cancer and neither they nor their doctors knew of it, some prostate cancers can grow and spread quickly.

This section of TRELSTAR.com will help you understand the prostate, potential risks and signs of prostate cancer, treatment options, and provide support resources for you or a loved one.

To better understand prostate cancer it may first be helpful to learn more about the prostate.

Understanding the Prostate

Indications and Usage
TRELSTAR^® Depot and TRELSTAR^® LA are indicated in the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer. TRELSTAR Depot or TRELSTAR LA offer an alternative treatment for prostate cancer when orchiectomy or estrogen administration are either not indicated or unacceptable to the patient.

Safety Information

The most commonly reported adverse events associated with the use of TRELSTAR^® Depot/TRELSTAR^® LA included hot flushes (58.6%/73.0%), skeletal pain (12.1%/13.2%), impotence (7.1%/2.3%), headache (5.0%/6.9%), leg pain (2.1%/5.2%), and edema in legs (0.0%/6.3%) . TRELSTAR is contraindicated in women who are or may become pregnant as well as patients who are hypersensitive to triptorelin, other LHRH agonists, or LHRH . Infrequent postmarketing reports of anaphylactic shock and angioedema have been received since 1986 (global experience) . As with all LHRH agonists, triptorelin causes an initial transient increase in testosterone levels. Patients may experience the onset or exacerbation of symptoms during this period, including bone pain, neuropathy, hematuria, spinal cord compression, or urethral or bladder outlet obstruction. Patients with metastatic vertebral lesions and/or urinary tract obstruction should be closely observed.