VANTAS - care for the caregiver

Care for the caregiver

A diagnosis of prostate cancer can be a challenge not only for patients, but also for their family and friends. If you’re responsible for taking care of a loved one with the disease, you are joining many people who are helping someone they are related to or know. More than half of patients diagnosed with cancer will be cared for by a close family member. As you know all too well, your role is not always an easy one.

This Web site is here to help you, too. Here are some straightforward tips to support you in providing the most effective level of care possible. And we’ve included advice on taking care of your own needs, as well.

Important Safety Information

VANTAS is contraindicated in women, pediatric patients and patients with hypersensitivity to GnRH, GnRH agonist analogs, or any of the other components of VANTAS.

VANTAS, like other LHRH agonists, causes a transient increase in serum concentrations of testosterone during the first week of treatment. Patients may experience worsening of symptoms or onset of new symptoms, including bone pain, neuropathy, hematuria, or ureteral or bladder outlet obstruction, cases of ureteral obstruction and spinal cord compression. Patients with metastatic vertebral lesions and/or with urinary tract obstruction should be closely observed during the first few weeks of therapy.

Implant insertion and removal is a surgical procedure and should use aseptic technique. Careful adherence to the recommended insertion and removal procedures is recommended. In all clinical trials combined, an implant was not recovered in 8 patients, 2 of these 8 patients had serum testosterone levels above castrate level and the implant was not visualized with ultrasound. In all of the 8 patients, the implant was not palpable.

Response to VANTAS should be monitored measuring serum concentrations of testosterone and PSA periodically.

In clinical trials, the most common adverse reactions were hot flashes, fatigue, and implant site reaction. During post-marketing surveillance, rare cases of pituitary apoplexy have been reported after the administration of GnRH agonists.

Care for the caregiver

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Important Safety Information