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Hormone Therapy in cancer hospital

What Are Hormones?

Hormones are chemicals that the body makes naturally. As hormones move through the bloodstream, they help control the activity of certain cells or organs. These include growth and development, sexual function, reproduction, mood, and how the body turns food into energy.

Hormones are made by glands. The major hormone-producing glands include the thyroid and parathyroid glands, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovaries, and testicles. These glands are part of the body's endocrine system, which consists of all hormones in the body

What does hormone therapy do?

Hormone therapies change the amount of hormones in your body in different ways. You may have tests to see if a cancer is sensitive to hormones. Your doctor may recommend hormone therapy to:

Prevent the body from making a hormone

Change how a hormone acts in the body

Block a hormone from binding to cancer cells

How is hormone therapy used to treat cancer?

Doctors often use hormone therapy along with other types of cancer treatment, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or surgery. If a person cannot have those treatments because of other health problems, hormone therapy may be used alone.

Hormone therapy can be used in different ways at different times. These include:

Before surgery or radiation therapy to shrink a tumor. This is called neoadjuvant therapy.
After other cancer treatments to reduce the risk that cancer will come back. This is called adjuvant therapy.
For cancer that comes back after treatment, called recurrent cancer.
For cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, called metastatic cancer.

The goal of hormone therapy depends on the type of cancer and how far it has spread. Sometimes, the goal is to keep cancer from coming back after treatment. Or the goal may be to stop or slow cancer growth.

Hormone therapy may also be used to help prevent or manage cancer symptoms. Relieving side effects is an important part of cancer care and treatment. This is called palliative care or supportive care.

Be sure to ask your doctor why a specific hormone therapy is being recommended for you and how the therapy will contribute to your cancer treatment plan

What kind of cancers can be treated with hormone therapy?

Hormone levels can control several types of cancer. Common cancers that are treated with hormone therapy are:

Breast cancer. In many cases, breast cancer depends on the hormones estrogen and/or progesterone to grow. Tumors that have receptors that these hormones can bind to are called "hormone receptor positive." Blocking the hormones can help prevent a recurrence and death from breast cancer. Learn about estrogen and progesterone receptor testing for breast cancer.

Prostate cancer. The growth of prostate cancer is usually driven by hormones called androgens. The most common androgen is testosterone. Lowering levels of androgens can help slow the growth of cancer.

Thyroid cancer. People with thyroid cancer who are treated with surgery usually need thyroid hormone therapy. In addition to replacing the hormone that is needed by the body, the therapy may slow down the growth of any remaining cancer cells in the body.

Hormone therapy can also be recommended for other cancers that are less common. Examples include:

Adrenal cancer. An adrenal gland tumor may produce excess hormones. The doctor may prescribe various medications to control the levels of these hormones before, during, or after other treatments.

Neuroendocrine tumors. Hormone therapies may slow the growth of a neuroendocrine tumor (NET). They can also be used to control the symptoms created by the hormones a NET can release.

Pituitary gland tumor. People with a tumor in the pituitary gland may not make enough of important hormones that they need. Hormone therapy may be needed to replace the different hormones that the pituitary gland is responsible for.

Uterine cancer. The growth of certain types of uterine cancer cells that are sensitive to estrogen and progesterone can be slowed down with hormone therapy.

There are several types of hormone therapy that can be used alone or in combination to treat these and other hormone-sensitive cancers. You can learn more about these therapies in the cancer-specific sections on Medisqaure.in. Look at the "Types of Treatment" and "Latest Research" pages in each guide for specific information.

How is hormone therapy given?

Hormone therapy by mouth. Some forms of hormone therapy can be taken orally in the form of a pill, capsule, or liquid. A lot of oral hormone treatments can be prescribed by a doctor, purchased at a pharmacy, and taken on a regular basis at home. If you have any questions about how to take your medication at home, talk to your medical team.

hormone injection therapy This is when hormone therapy is administered intravenously. These shots can be given to your arm, leg, hip, or belly. They can be injected under the skin or given to a muscle. A clinic or a doctor's office may administer hormone injections. You may also be taught how to administer injections at home by your healthcare team.

surgical severing. Sometimes, it's recommended to have an organ that makes certain hormones removed through surgery. As part of treatment for prostate cancer, for instance, the testicles might need to be taken out to lower testosterone levels. The term for this operation is bilateral orchiectomy. Another example is when the ovaries are removed surgically as part of a breast cancer treatment to stop estrogen production. Ovarian ablation is the term for this. A hospital or other specialized medical facility is where surgical ablation is performed.

Your hormone therapy plan

The type of hormone therapy prescribed for you, the amount you take, and how often you take it depends on many factors. These include:

The type of cancer
The stage of cancer
The risk of cancer returning or how long it had been before the cancer returned
The type of cancer treatment you have already received or currently receive
Side effects that you experience
Whether or not menopause has occurred

Some people need hormone therapy for a short time. Other people will remain on hormone therapy for several years or the rest of their lives. Hormone treatment can be daily, monthly, yearly, or as needed.

For example, with certain types of breast cancer, people can take daily hormone therapy for 5 to 10 years. People with prostate cancer may have intermittent hormone therapy. This means that they will receive hormone therapy at specific times, but the treatment will be stopped temporarily before it starts again. After thyroid cancer treatment, hormone therapy is often a daily part of a person's life.

Talk to your health care team about why they recommend a specific hormone therapy plan for you and what to expect.

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