What Is PROVENGE?

A healthcare provider may prescribe PROVENGE® (sipuleucel-T) to treat certain cases of prostate cancer. But what is PROVENGE and how does it work?
 
This prescription hormone medicine is approved to treat metastatic prostate cancer (cancer that has spread to other areas in the body) that is not adequately responding to hormone therapy. It is only approved for use in adult men who are not experiencing any cancer symptoms or who have only minimal symptoms.
 
In some cases, this medicine may be prescribed "off-label" to treat earlier stages of prostate cancer (before the cancer has spread) and the treatment of prostate cancer in men who are experiencing more than minimal prostate cancer symptoms.
 
The medicine is unique in that it uses a person's own immune cells to treat prostate cancer. These immune cells are mixed with a certain protein that activates them to attack prostate cancer cells.
 
(Click PROVENGE for a more complete overview of what PROVENGE is prescribed for and how it works. This article also discusses potential side effects, dosing guidelines, and some general safety precautions to be aware of before beginning treatment.)
List of references (click here)
Written by/reviewed by: Susan Lakey, PharmD, MPH
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD
 
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