Hormonal Therapy
Hormonal Therapy Overview - WebMD
There are certain hormones that can attach to cancer cells and can affect their ability to multiply. The purpose of hormone therapy -- also called hormonal therapy or hormone treatment -- is to add, block, or remove hormones. With breast cancer, the female hormones estrogen and progesterone can promote the growth of some breast cancer cells. So in these patients, hormone therapy is given to block the body's naturally occurring estrogen and fight the cancer's growth. There are two types of hormone therapy for breast cancer.
- Drugs that inhibit estrogen and progesterone from promoting breast cancer cell growth.
- Drugs or surgery to turn off the production of hormones from the ovaries.
Do not confuse the term hormone therapy that is used for treating breast cancer patients with hormone replacement therapy that is typically used by post-menopausal women. Hormone therapy for cancer treatment stops hormones from getting to cancer cells. Hormone therapy for post-menopausal women without cancer (in the past called "hormone replacement therapy") adds more hormones to your body to counter the effects of menopause.
What is Hormonal Therapy?
- What is Hormonal Therapy? - Breastcancer.org
- Anatomy of Breast Cancer - Updated: Tamoxifen - Susan G. Komen for the Cure
- Hormone Therapy for Cancer Treatment - Stanford Cancer Center
- Tamoxifen and Other Hormonal Therapies - Susan G. Komen for the Cure
- Aromatase Inhibitors - Breastcancer.org
- SERMs (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators) - Breastcancer.org
- ERDs (Estrogen-Receptor Downregulators) - Breastcancer.org
- Ovarian Shutdown or Removal - Breastcancer.org
Benefits and Side Effects of Hormonal Therapy
- Side Effects of Tamoxifen - Susan G. Komen for the Cure
- Hormonal Therapy: What to Expect - Breastcancer.org
- Side Effects of Hormonal Therapy - Breastcancer.org
- Other Benefits of Tamoxifen - Susan G. Komen for the Cure
- Hormonal Therapy Side Effects Comparison Chart - Breastcancer.org
Other Information on Hormonal Therapy
- Research News on Hormonal Therapy - Breastcancer.org
- Aromatase Inhibitors Come of Age - National Cancer Institute
FAQs
- Questions for your doctor about Hormonal Therapy - Susan G. Komen for the Cure
