A patient with advanced cancer of the prostate begins treatment with leuprolide (Lupron Depot) injections and will receive 7.5 mg IM once per month
After the first injection, the patient experiences an increase in cancer symptoms. What will the nurse tell the patient?
a. Desensitization to the drug over time will result in a decrease in these symptoms.
b. The dose of leuprolide may have to be increased to 22.5 mg per month.
c. These symptoms indicate a need for surgical castration to treat the cancer.
d. This is a sign that the patient's cancer is getting worse.
ANS: A
Patients taking leuprolide may initially experience an increase in cancer symptoms until GnRH receptors in the pituitary become desensitized. Increasing the dose is not indicated, and these symptoms do not warrant surgical castration. They do not reflect a worsening of this patient's cancer symptoms.
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