Indication

ELIGARD is a prescription drug, given by injection, for the management of advanced prostate cancer. However, there is no known cure for prostate cancer.
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For U.S. Residents Only
IMPORTANT SAFETY IMFORMATION

ELIGARD should not be used by women, children, or anyone who is allergic to the drug leuprolide acetate or any of the ingredients of ELIGARD. Leuprolide acetate can cause harm to the fetus if given to a pregnant woman.

ELIGARD, like other drugs in its class, causes a temporary increase in testosterone during the first and second weeks of treatment. Patients may experience worsening of symptoms or new symptoms during the first weeks of treatment, including bone pain, nerve damage, blood in the urine, pressure on the spine, or difficulty urinating. If your cancer has spread to the spine or urinary tract, urinary blockage or pressure in the spine may occur and can sometimes lead to paralysis, which may be fatal. You may require close medical attention during the first few weeks of therapy and you should notify your doctor if you develop any new or worsened symptoms after beginning treatment with ELIGARD.

The most common injection site side effects are temporary burning and stinging, pain, bruising and redness. The most common systemic adverse events include mild to severe hot flashes/sweats, fatigue, weakness, fever, muscle pain, testicular shrinkage and breast enlargement. For more information on these and other side effects, please talk to your doctor.

Diagnosing Advanced Prostate Cancer

Doctors use two systems to characterize cancer: a "grading" system and a "staging" system. Grading tells the doctor how aggressive the tumor might be, based on the appearance of cells in the biopsied tissue sample. Prostate cancer staging refers to the size of the tumor and whether or not it has spread. Depending on the prostate cancer grade and stage, your doctor may classify your cancer as localized or advanced prostate cancer.

Grading System

The most common type of grading system is called the Gleason Score. It tells doctors how aggressive a tumor might be and is based on a score of 2 (the lowest) to 10 (the highest).

Types of Staging Systems

There are several types of staging systems doctors can use:
  • Roman numerals (I - IV) System
  • ABCD System
  • TNM (Tumor, Node, Metastasis) System

Ask your doctor what grade and stage of prostate cancer you have and how that diagnosis was made.

Treatments for Advanced Prostate Cancer

To learn about treatments for advanced prostate cancer, see the "Treating Prostate Cancer" section of this Web site.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor
  • What role does testosterone play in my prostate cancer?
  • What is my PSA?
  • What are my DRE results?
  • What is my biopsy result?
  • What staging system do you use?
  • What is the stage of my prostate cancer?
  • Can you please explain it to me?
  • What is my Gleason Score?
  • Can you please explain it to me?
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