Some tumours respond to certain hormones and grow as a result. Hormone-dependent malignancies are the name for several types of tumours. Some forms of breast, uterine, and prostate malignancies are among them. Hormonal therapy aims to halt or stop hormone receptor positive cells from growing. Endocrine therapy or hormone-blocking therapy are other terms for Hormonal therapy.
Synthetic hormones are used in Hormonal therapy to block the effects of the body's natural hormones. The goal is to reduce the amount of hormones sent to the tumour. This may aid in shrinking the cancer's size and slowing its spread.
The hormones oestrogen (ER) and progesterone are sensitive to 70–80 percent of breast cancers (PR). This indicates that these hormones may be assisting cancer growth. These malignancies are known as hormone receptor positive (ER+ and/or PR+), and they are more likely to react to oestrogen-blocking Hormonal therapy.
Anti-oestrogen medications, aromatase inhibitors, and ovarian therapies are some of the options for lowering female hormone levels in the body. The option you select will be determined by your age, the type of breast cancer you have, and whether or not you have reached menopause.
Oestrogen stimulates the growth of several uterine tumours. If the cancer has spread or returned, Hormonal treatment may be used, particularly if it is a low-grade cancer. It's also occasionally recommended first if surgery isn't a possibility, such as for women who still want to start a family. Progesterone is the most common Hormonal treatment for oestrogen-dependent uterine cancer.
Testosterone is required for prostate cancer to flourish. Because testosterone is an androgen (male sex hormone), androgen-deprivation therapy is used to treat prostate cancer (ADT). This medication reduces testosterone production, which may cause the tumour to grow more slowly or decrease temporarily. ADT may be prescribed if the prostate cancer is locally progressed or advanced.
