Hormone therapy for cancer
Hormone therapy is a type of cancer treatment that slows your hormone production to stop cancer from growing or spreading. This treatment is used on certain cancers that use hormones to grow.
Also called endocrine therapy, hormone therapy helps treat cancer or ease cancer symptoms. It’s often given in combination with other treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
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How does hormone therapy work?
Hormones are an important part of how your body functions. They affect everything from your sleep to your metabolism.
Some cancers use hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, to grow and spread in the body. When a cancer is hormone sensitive, hormone therapy can stop or slow the cancer’s growth by targeting the hormone source.
Along with other cancer treatments, hormone therapy helps:
- Reduce the chance cancer will return
- Shrink cancer cells before surgery or radiation therapy
- Slow or stop the growth of cancer that has spread to other parts of the body
- Decrease the risk of cancer developing in other parts of the body
Hormone therapy also helps ease or reduce cancer symptoms – such as a large, painful tumor – when other treatments like radiation therapy or surgery aren’t possible.
Types of hormone therapy
Our dedicated cancer care team will work closely with you to customize a treatment plan that works best for you. Hormone therapy includes three types of treatment methods to disrupt the growth of hormone-fueled cancer cells:
- Synthetic hormones that prevent the body from producing natural hormones
- Medications that stop cancer cells from using hormones to grow
- Surgery to remove the gland that makes the hormone
The type of hormone therapy depends on the type of cancer and if it’s spread. Hormone therapy drugs may involve taking oral medications or injections of hormones. Hormone therapy surgery may include removing the ovaries or testicles.
Types of cancer hormone therapy treats
Hormone therapy is used to treat hormone-sensitive cancers. This includes cancers that respond to the hormones estrogen or progesterone:
Tests can show if a cancer cell is sensitive to hormones and would respond to hormone therapy.
Hormone therapy treatments for hormone-sensitive cancers
A combination of hormone-blocking therapy and radiation therapy may be recommended if you have prostate cancer. Hormone therapy medications for prostate cancer block the production or release of testosterone to stop hormones from connecting with cancerous cells. In some cases, surgery may be needed to remove one or both testicles. Hormone treatment for enlarged prostate may ease painful symptoms.
Hormone therapy for breast cancer may include medications to lower or stop the production of estrogen. Therapy is used before breast cancer surgery to shrink cancerous tumors, or it may be recommended after surgery to reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence.
A common type of hormone therapy for ovarian cancer includes medication to lower estrogen levels in the body. This is usually used for rare ovarian cancer tumors (stromal tumors). Surgery to remove the ovaries may be recommended for some cases of ovarian cancer.
Therapy to slow uterine cancer cell growth with drugs that mimic the hormone progesterone are used to treat uterine cancer. This may be recommended after surgery, to treat recurring uterine cancer or to ease cancer symptoms.
Hormone therapy side effects
Like other cancer treatments, hormone therapy may involve some risks. Depending on your type of cancer, disrupting your hormonal balance may lead to unwanted side effects. Common side effects of any type of hormone therapy include:
- Fatigue
- Mood changes
- Hot flashes
- Weight gain
- Diarrhea
- Decreased bone density
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