Preparing for PROVENGE Treatment
Once your PROVENGE treatment schedule is confirmed, you will receive a Comfort Kit that will have information about PROVENGE. The Comfort Kit will also include items to make your treatment as comfortable as possible.
Items to bring to ALL of your appointments
You must bring a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, to all of your appointments.
- It should have the same name (first, middle or middle initial, and last name) as used for the records at your doctor’s office at the time of enrollment for PROVENGE treatment. This will allow the doctor’s office to match your dose of PROVENGE to you.
Portable music device, such as an MP3 player, or a book to pass the time during your appointments
Items from your PROVENGE Comfort Kit
Before your cell collection procedure...
Make sure to drink more water than usual to stay well hydrated
Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages on the day of each cell collection procedure
Eat a calcium-rich breakfast, which may include yogurt, milk, calcium-fortified orange juice or cereal, bananas, blueberries, or almonds
Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing, especially clothing with sleeves that can be raised above the elbow
In general, most people feel fatigued after the cell collection procedure, so having an alternate driver for the ride home is recommended
The importance of keeping scheduled appointments
It is important to keep all your scheduled appointments and to arrive prepared. Your dose of PROVENGE, once manufactured, has a short life span. If an infusion appointment is missed, your personal dose of PROVENGE will expire and be out of date and can no longer be used. You will have to repeat the cell collection procedure in order for a new dose to be manufactured.
To prevent the need for repeat procedures, set reminders for yourself. You can use the calendar provided in your Comfort Kit, and you can also ask family members or friends to mark these dates on their calendars as well.
Next: Patient Stories
INDICATION
PROVENGE® (sipuleucel-T) is approved by the FDA as an autologous cellular immunotherapy
for the treatment of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic castrate resistant (hormone refractory) prostate cancer.
PROVENGE is made from your own immune cells. Your cells will be collected at a cell collection center approximately 3 days before
each scheduled infusion of PROVENGE. There can be risks associated with the cell collection process, which you should discuss with
your doctor before deciding to begin treatment with PROVENGE.
PROVENGE can cause serious reactions. In controlled clinical trials for the treatment of prostate cancer, serious reactions
reported in patients in the PROVENGE group include reactions resulting from the infusion of the drug, which occurred within 1
day of infusion, and strokes. Severe infusion reactions included chills, fever, fatigue, weakness, breathing problems (shortness
of breath, decreased oxygen level, and wheezing), dizziness, headache, high blood pressure, muscle ache, nausea, and vomiting.
Tell your doctor right away if you have breathing problems, chest pains, racing heart or irregular heartbeats, dizziness, nausea,
or vomiting after getting PROVENGE because any of these may be signs of heart or lung problems.
The most common side effects reported with PROVENGE are chills, fatigue, fever, back pain, nausea, joint ache, and headache. These
are not all the possible side effects of PROVENGE treatment. For more information, talk with your doctor.
Tell your doctor about all your medical problems including heart problems, lung problems or a history of stroke.
Tell your doctor right away if you get a fever over 100°F, or redness at the cell collection or infusion sites,
because any of these may be signs of infection.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription drugs, vitamins, and dietary supplements.
Tell your doctor about any side effect that concerns you or does not go away.
For more information on PROVENGE, please see the Full Prescribing Information or
call Dendreon ON Call at 1-877-336-3736.