Frequently Asked Questions
If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer or have been prescribed FIRMAGON®, you may have a number of questions and concerns on your mind. You’ll find answers to many of them below.
What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is a disease of the prostate, a walnut-sized gland located beneath the bladder and in front of the rectum in men. The urethra (the tube that transports urine and sperm out of the body) passes through the prostate to the bladder neck. Prostate tissue produces a protein called prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as well as prostatic acid phosphatase, an enzyme found in seminal fluid (the milky substance that combines with sperm to form semen).
Prostate cancer develops when cells in the prostate gland begin to multiply quickly. This means that new cells form where the body does not need them and old cells do not die when they should. These extra cells form a mass of tissue called a tumor. The tumor is described as being “malignant” if the cells have the ability to spread beyond the area in which they first developed.
Prostate cancer usually grows slowly and can remain within the prostate gland for years (localized cancer). However, as the cancer develops, it can invade and damage the surrounding tissues or spread to other areas of the body (metastasis).
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
In its early stages, there may be no symptoms. As the cancer grows, you may experience:
- A need to urinate frequently, especially at night
- A need to rush to the toilet, even leaking urine sometimes
- Difficulty starting urination or holding back urine
- Inability to urinate
- A weak flow
- Painful or burning urination
- A sense that the bladder has not emptied
- Difficulty having or keeping an erection
- Painful ejaculation
- Blood in urine or semen
You may also have frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs.
How is prostate cancer detected?
Tests to detect prostate cancer include:
- 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 test (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 may 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.
What are the stages of prostate cancer?
The stage of prostate cancer tells doctors how far the cancer has spread and helps them decide the best treatment option for you.
Tumors are usually staged using the TNM system:
| T | The size of the primary Tumor |
| N | Whether any lymph Nodes have been affected |
| M | Whether the tumor has Metastasized (spread beyond the prostate gland) |
What are my treatment options?
Decisions regarding how and when to treat prostate cancer are based largely on the stage of the cancer at the time of your diagnosis, whether it is confined to your prostate, or whether it has spread into other areas of your body.
Your doctor will also take into account things like your general health, treatment side effects, and your attitude toward living with these side effects.
Treatment options include:
How does FIRMAGON® work?
FIRMAGON® works differently from other hormone therapies. Its unique action blocks GnRH receptors of the pituitary gland and rapidly reduces your body’s level of testosterone, a hormone that affects the growth of the prostate gland and any cancer cells that may be present.
How will I be treated with FIRMAGON®?
FIRMAGON® is given as a series of injections in your abdomen, administered by your doctor or nurse at the doctor’s office, a hospital, or a clinic.
First you will be given a starting dose of 2 injections. Then you will be given maintenance doses of 1 injection every 28 days.
Once injected, FIRMAGON® forms a small mass, called a depot, which supplies your body with a continuous release of FIRMAGON® over 28 days.
What side effects might I experience with FIRMAGON®?
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).
How long will I be treated with FIRMAGON®?
At certain times over the course of your treatment, your doctor will measure the level of prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, in your blood. The results of these tests will tell your doctor how well your treatment is working. Based on your test results, your doctor will decide on the length of your treatment.
What if I miss an injection?
You should receive your injection every month. If you cannot keep your appointment to receive the injection, call your health care provider to reschedule another injection date as soon as possible.
This is the best way to ensure control of prostate cancer. After each injection, you should always set up an appointment for your next injection.
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).
Please see the Full Prescribing Information. You can view or download it by clicking on the link in the right-hand column of the page.
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.