What Is Advanced Prostate Cancer?

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.

What role does testosterone play in my prostate cancer?
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Remember, Eligard is available by Rx only and your doctor is the single best source of information regarding you and your health.
Please consult your doctor if you have any questions about your health or your medication.

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Indications and Important Safety Information

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.

Important Information
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.

ELIGARD, like other drugs in its class, causes a temporary increase in testosterone during the first 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, or difficulty urinating. The most common side effects are hot flashes, injection site pain (including burning and stinging), fatigue, and testicular atrophy.

Please see patient information for important additional information.