Provenge

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Specializes in Post-Surgical, Urology, Short Procedures.

Does anyone have any experience administering this? What are your thoughts and feelings about this drug? And also, what does your infusion policy/infusion reaction policy include for this? I am going to be administering this at my job. I don't know how I feel about it yet. Also, I need to write policies for this.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

What is it?

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Specializes in Post-Surgical, Urology, Short Procedures.

Its a drug that is mixed with a patients own blood. It costs 93,000(31,000 per treatment x3). Its for patients with metastatic prostate cancer and it basically gives them about 4 months longer to live than they normally would.

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.
PROVENGE, a breakthrough treatment for certain men with advanced prostate cancer that is designed to work differently than hormone therapy or chemotherapy. PROVENGE is the first FDA-approved autologous cellular immunotherapy that stimulates a patient’s immune system to target and attack prostate cancer. Treatment with PROVENGE includes 3 doses given approximately 2 weeks apart. After 3 infusions, treatment with PROVENGE is complete.

4 months added to your life can be precious. It is expensive, but compared to a man's completion of life's tasks-priceless.

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OP, I'm not familiar with this drug. Are patients reasonably well when this is given or are they already quite debilitated? What sort of policies are you needing to develop?

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Specializes in Post-Surgical, Urology, Short Procedures.

They are described as minimally symptomatic. They can have no moderate or severe cancer related pain and cannot be on narcotics for cancer related pain. They can't have been on chemo within the last 3 months.

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Specializes in Post-Surgical, Urology, Short Procedures.

and the policies I need to develop are one for the actual infusion process and one for an infusion reaction.

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They are described as minimally symptomatic. They can have no moderate or severe cancer related pain and cannot be on narcotics for cancer related pain. They can't have been on chemo within the last 3 months.

Thanks for the reply NurseKate. So the idea is that hopefully the patient gets (approximately) an extra four months of being minimally symptomatic rather than an extra four months of debility and pain? It sounds good if that's the case, but it's certainly a very expensive four months. What are your feelings?

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Specializes in Critical Care and Urology.

Hi Kate! Dr. Neal Shore, Grand Strand Urology/Atlantic Urology Clinics and Carolina Urologic Research Center have been involved with the Dendreon Corporation since 2003. We participated in the clinical research trials of Provenge, more specifically the 9902B and PB01 trials. Provenge (sipuleucel-T) is an autologous cellular immunotherapy indicated for the treatment of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic castrate resistant (hormone refractory) prostate cancer. Provenge was approved by the US FDA on April 29, 2010, and we have been infusing Provenge in our clinic since July, 2010. We are huge supporters of the Dendreon Corporation and Provenge. We will gladly assist you and your clinic as you prepare your site and staff to infuse Provenge. Please contact either of us: [email protected], or [email protected].

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