Prostate Cancer: Testing and Diagnosis
Prostate cancer may not cause any symptoms in the early stages and may only be discovered during a routine checkup.
Know the risk factors for prostate cancer, and visit your doctor for a checkup if you are concerned. Your doctor may use various tests to screen for prostate cancer, including:
Digital rectal examination (DRE)
Your doctor may perform a DRE, inserting a gloved finger into the rectum to feel for hard, lumpy, or abnormal areas of the prostate.
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test
The PSA test measures the level of PSA—a protein produced by the prostate gland—in the blood. An elevated PSA level can indicate the presence of prostate cancer.
If either one of these tests indicates the possibility of prostate cancer, your physician will likely recommend a biopsy of the prostate.
Transrectal ultrasonography (or ultrasound) (TRUS)/Prostate biopsy
A probe about the size of a finger is inserted into the rectum to provide images of the prostate by using high-frequency sound waves. This probe is used to help the physician properly place the needle that is projected through the tip of a probe and inserted through the rectum into the prostate. The biopsy needle is used to extract tiny tissue samples from several areas of the prostate. The biopsy samples are sent to a pathologist (a physician who identifies diseases by studying cells under a microscope), who analyzes the samples for the presence of prostate cancer.
Other tests used include computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and bone scans.
WHAT IS FIRMAGON?
FIRMAGON® is a prescription medicine used in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
FIRMAGON® should not be given to people who are allergic to any of the ingredients in FIRMAGON®. It should not be given to women who are pregnant or may become pregnant. FIRMAGON® can harm an unborn baby when given to a pregnant woman.
Before receiving FIRMAGON®, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you have any heart problems, problems with balance of your body salts or electrolytes (such as, sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium), or have kidney or liver problems.
The common side effects of FIRMAGON® include: hot flashes, injection site pain, redness and swelling (especially with the first dose), weight gain, increase in some liver enzymes, tiredness, hypertension, back and joint pain, chills, urinary tract infection, and decrease sex drive and trouble with erectile function (impotence).
The information on this Web site is provided for educational purposes only. While there may be information on this Web site related to certain medical conditions and their treatment, should a medical condition exist, promptly see your own physician or health care provider as the information on this Web site is not intended to take the place of advice from a physician or health care professional. Ferring does not offer personalized medical diagnosis or patient-specific treatment advice. The statements made by doctors on this Web site represent their own individual experiences and opinions and is not intended to be medical advice. Indeed, only your doctor or other health care professional, as a learned intermediary, can determine if a product described in this Web site is appropriate for you.
This Web site is intended for US residents only.
* With continued use, FIRMAGON has been shown to maintain testosterone at medically acceptable levels for up to 1 year.1
** In secondary endpoints of a 1-year, pivotal, phase 3 noninferiority-designed study; FIRMAGON: n=207; leuprolide: n=201.1
References:
1. Klotz L, Boccon-Gibod L, Shore ND, et al. The efficacy and safety of degarelix: a 12-month, comparative, randomized, open-label, parallel-group phase III study in patients with prostate cancer. BJU Int. 2008;102(11):1531-1538. 2. Van Poppel H, Nilsson S. Testosterone surge: rationale for gonadotropin-releasing hormone blockers? Urology. 2008;71(6):1001-1006. 3. Lupron Depot® [package insert]. North Chicago, IL: Abbott Laboratories; 2008. 4. Weckermann D, Harzmann R. Hormone therapy in prostate cancer: LHRH antagonists versus LHRH analogues. Eur Urol. 2004;46(3):279-284.