Abiraterone per il cancro alla prostata

About abiraterone

In some men with prostate cancer, the cancer cells spread to parts of the body other than the prostate. When this happens, it is referred to as late, cancro alla prostata avanzato o metastatico. Le opzioni di trattamento per questo tipo di cancro includono tipicamente terapia ormonale, chirurgia, radioterapia e chemioterapia.

Abiraterone is a hormone treatment - it belongs to a group of medicines known as anti-androgens. This means that it reduces the amount of male sex hormones (called androgens) that your body produces. In prostate cancer, androgens are produced by your testicles (testes), by your adrenal glands, and in the tumour cells. Abiraterone reduces the amount of androgens produced by each of these, and this slows the growth of the cancer.

Abiraterone will be prescribed for you alongside another medicine, either prednisone oppure prednisolone. These medicines reduce the risk of unwanted effects from abiraterone treatment.

Before taking abiraterone

Sometimes a medicine may only be used in people with certain conditions if extra care is taken. For this reason, before you start taking abiraterone it is important that your doctor knows:

• If you have been told you have high blood pressure, or low levels of potassium in your blood.

• Se hai problemi al cuore o ai vasi sanguigni.

• Se hai il diabete.

• Se hai problemi con il funzionamento dei tuoi reni, o problemi con il funzionamento del tuo fegato.

• Se stai assumendo o utilizzando altri medicinali. Questo include qualsiasi medicinale che stai assumendo e che è disponibile per l'acquisto senza prescrizione, così come i medicinali a base di erbe e complementari.

• Se hai mai avuto una reazione allergica a un medicinale.

How to take abiraterone

• Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about abiraterone and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking it.

• Take abiraterone exactly as your doctor tells you to. The usual dose is two 500 mg tablets (1000 mg in total) taken together, once a day. Your dose will be printed on the label of the pack to remind you about what the doctor said to you.

• You must take the tablets when your stomach is empty. This means that you should take abiraterone at least an hour before a mealtime, or wait until at least two hours after you have eaten. This is because taking abiraterone with food will increase the amount of the medicine in your blood in a way that isn't predictable, and this is likely to cause side-effects.

• Take the tablets with a drink of water. Swallow the tablets whole - do not crush or break the tablets in order to swallow them.

• Try to take abiraterone at the same time of day each day as this will help you to remember to take your doses regularly.

• Se dimentichi di prendere una dose, assumerla appena te ne ricordi. Se non te ne ricordi fino al giorno successivo, salta la dose dimenticata. Non prendere due dosi insieme per recuperare una dose mancante.

Ottenere il massimo dal tuo trattamento

• Try to keep your regular appointments with your doctor. This is so your doctor can check on your progress. You will need to have regular blood tests to check on the amount of potassium in your blood and how well your liver is working. Your doctor will also want to check your blood pressure routinely.

• It is important that you continue to take the prednisone or prednisolone tablets that you will be prescribed alongside abiraterone. You should take these tablets regularly every day. Do not stop taking them unless your doctor tells you to.

• If you have diabetes you will need to check your blood glucose more frequently as these tablets can increase the level of sugar in your blood. Your doctor will advise you about this.

• If you are having an operation or dental treatment, tell the person carrying out the treatment which medicines you are taking. This is important because your dose of prednisone or prednisolone may need to be increased for a short while.

• Abiraterone may harm an unborn child. This means that if you are having sex with a woman who could become pregnant, you must use a condom along with another effective birth control method. If you are having sex with a woman who is already pregnant, you must use a condom to protect the unborn child.

• Se acquisti dei medicinali, verifica con un farmacista che siano sicuri da assumere insieme agli altri tuoi medicinali.

Can abiraterone cause problems?

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with abiraterone. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. Speak with your doctor or pharmacist if you experience any symptoms which you think may be due to abiraterone.

How to store abiraterone

• Tenere tutti i medicinali fuori dalla portata e dalla vista dei bambini.

• Conservare in un luogo fresco e asciutto, lontano da fonti di calore e luce diretta.

Informazioni importanti su tutti i medicinali