Hormone Therapy

Hormonal therapy, a cancer treatment, involves altering hormone levels to prevent or slow cancer growth. It’s especially effective against hormone-sensitive cancers like breast and prostate cancer, and differs from menopausal hormone therapy.

What is Hormonal Therapy?

Hormonal therapy, also known as anti-hormonal or endocrine therapy, is a cancer treatment strategy that manipulates hormone levels in the body. Its primary function is to remove, block, or add specific hormones to inhibit the growth of certain cancers that rely on these hormones. This treatment differs significantly from menopausal hormone therapy, which is used to manage menopause symptoms.

Hormones, produced naturally by glands like the thyroid, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovaries, and testicles, regulate various bodily functions including growth, reproduction, and metabolism. Hormonal therapy aims to disrupt the cancer-promoting effects of these hormones. It is typically used alongside other cancer treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, and can be applied in various stages of cancer treatment, including before surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) to shrink tumors, or after other treatments (adjuvant therapy) to reduce recurrence risk.

The therapy’s goals depend on the cancer type and stage, ranging from curbing cancer recurrence to slowing or stopping its growth. Hormonal therapy can also serve a palliative purpose, helping manage or alleviate cancer-related symptoms. It’s particularly effective against hormone-sensitive cancers like breast cancer, which may depend on estrogen and progesterone, and prostate cancer, which often relies on androgens like testosterone. Thyroid, uterine, adrenal, and neuroendocrine cancers are other examples where hormonal therapy can be impactful.

How Does Hormonal Therapy Fight Cancer?

Hormonal therapy combats cancer by intervening in the body’s hormonal environment, which certain cancers exploit for growth. By either reducing the production of specific hormones, blocking their action, or altering how they interact with cancer cells, hormonal therapy can effectively slow or stop the growth of hormone-dependent cancers. This approach is particularly effective against cancers like breast and prostate cancer, which grow in response to hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Hormonal therapy, therefore, offers a targeted strategy to curb cancer progression.

Types of Hormonal Therapy

Hormonal therapy encompasses various approaches depending on the type of cancer and hormone involved. Oral hormonal therapies, taken as pills or liquids, are commonly prescribed for home use. Injectable therapies, administered through shots, might be given in a clinic or self-administered at home. Surgical ablation, involving the removal of hormone-producing organs, is another approach, like removing the ovaries in breast cancer treatment or testicles in prostate cancer treatment. Hormonal therapies differ in frequency and duration, ranging from daily to intermittent use, and can span from a few years to a lifetime, depending on the cancer type and treatment objectives.

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