Life with Prostate Cancer:
Managing the Disease Every Day
Source: viadurusa.com/physicians/html/news/viadur_news/viadur_news_20010925.html

After a visit to the doctor, Jack Block was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Jack and his doctor discussed the treatment options available. Foremost in Jack’s mind was controlling the spread of the cancer, but maintaining an active life also was important.

"After receiving my diagnosis, I was most concerned about treating the cancer. I also worried about how the different treatment options would affect my life," said Jack. "My doctor and I discussed the various treatments and together we decided on a course of action. It was important to me to select a therapy that fit into my current active lifestyle." The treatment prescribed for Jack was Viadur™ (leuprolide acetate implant), a once-yearly treatment for advanced prostate cancer. In March 2001, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation introduced Viadur, which offers patients flexibility and an alternative to the one-, three-, or four-month injections currently in use.

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer found in American men, after skin cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates approximately 198,100 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed during 2001 with another 31,500 men dying of the disease this year.
Source: American Cancer Society

"We have made a lot of progress in treating prostate cancer," said Leonard S. Marks, M.D., clinical associate professor, department of surgery/urology, UCLA School of Medicine. "A variety of medical treatments, such as Viadur are available today that help men manage the disease effectively, with the flexibility of once-yearly dosing."

Dr. Marks offers these tips for promoting prostate health:

• Get regular check-ups. If you have not had a prostate exam recently or been diagnosed with prostate cancer, it is time to schedule an appointment. The American Cancer Society and the American Urological Association recommend that men have a prostate exam once a year beginning at age 50. It is recommended that men at high risk for developing the disease, such as African-American men and men with a family history of prostate cancer, begin getting annual prostate exams between the ages of 40 and 45.
  
• Learn all you can about prostate cancer and its treatment. Refer to the materials your physician provides; they contain important information. Ask for recommendations about other places to turn to for information, such as a support group, your local library, or Web sites.
  
• Play an active role in treatment decisions. Work with your physician in choosing a treatment that is both effective, and allows you to maintain the type of lifestyle you enjoy.
  
• Educate those around you about prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, which is celebrated from Sept. 17–21, 2001 offers a time to remind your male relatives and friends of the importance of a prostate cancer screening. This is especially true for men over 50 and those at greatest risk for the disease.

Viadur™ (leuprolide acetate implant) is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to GnRH, GnRH agonist analogs, or any of the components in Viadur. Viadur is contraindicated in women and pediatric patients and was not studied in women or children. Viadur, like other LH-RH agonists, causes a transient increase in serum concentrations of testosterone during the first week of treatment. Patients may experience worsening of symptoms, including bone pain, neuropathy, hematuria, or ureteral or bladder outlet obstruction. In clinical studies, the most common systemic side effects were hot flashes (67.9%), asthenia (loss of strength) (7.6%), gynecomastia (breast enlargement) (6.9%), depression (5.3%), and sweating (5.3%). The most common local side effects were bruising (34.6%) and burning (5.6%).

Viadur represents one part of Bayer’s commitment to men’s health. Click here for complete prescribing information.

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