Hormone Therapy
At Reid Cancer Center, our dedicated oncologists offer hormone therapy as an option for people with breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other cancers related to hormones.
Treating hormone-driven cancers
Hormone therapy involves managing the levels of specific hormones to help slow down or stop the growth of certain cancers. By adjusting hormone levels or blocking their effects, oncologists can effectively control the growth of these cancers, which might help improve your outcomes.
When only the best will do
Your oncologist at Reid Cancer Center will discuss all your options for treatment when developing a care plan. Our goal is to ensure you get the most appropriate care for your cancer diagnosis, and we want you to feel confident in your choice. If you decide to proceed with hormone therapy, you’ll have everything you need to fight cancer close to home, without the need to travel long distances to get the best treatment.
What is hormone therapy?
Your body produces hormones to help control how cells work. There are many different types of hormones. Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone play a role in sexual development and function. Insulin is a hormone that helps keep blood sugar levels in check, and thyroid hormones perform many important functions, including helping to regulate your metabolism.
Although your body needs hormones, some cancers use them to grow and spread. Hormone therapy for cancer can stop your body from producing hormones or change how hormones interact with cells to prevent them from contributing to cancer.
Your oncologist might use hormone therapy as a standalone treatment or alongside other therapies to treat your cancer as thoroughly as possible. Some hormone therapies are medications you receive through an injection, oral medication, or infusion. Others are surgeries to remove hormone-producing organs such as the ovaries and testicles.
Types of hormone therapy
Hormone therapy is used to treat breast, prostrate, ovarian, uterine, and endometrial cancer. The therapeutic agent used in hormone therapy varies by the specific type of cancer being treated:
Breast cancer
Hormone therapies for breast cancer generally target estrogen, which can attach to cancer cells and help them grow. These medications can stop estrogen from attaching to cells, prevent your body from producing estrogen, and affect how estrogen works in the body. If your oncologist thinks your cancer could return after treatment, they might recommend having your ovaries removed to stop estrogen production.
Endometrial and uterine cancers
These cancers can be driven by progesterone and estrogen. Progestins, medications that interfere with progesterone, are often the main hormone therapy treatment for endometrial cancer, but oncologists can also use medications that affect estrogen levels.
Ovarian cancer
Hormone therapies for ovarian cancer focus on estrogen. You might receive a medication that helps stop estrogen production or prevent it from causing cancer cells to grow.
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer hormone therapies target testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, two hormones commonly referred to as androgens. You might have surgery to remove your testicles, which significantly reduces androgen production, or you might receive medications that reduce how much androgen your body makes. Your adrenal glands and cancer cells themselves can also produce androgens, and some prostate cancer hormone therapy medications can reduce how much they produce to slow cancer growth.
Potential side effects of hormone therapy
Hormones play a key role in keeping your body working as it should, so when hormone therapies affect how hormones work, you can develop side effects such as:
- Blood clots
- Breast changes
- Fatigue
- Hot flashes
- Menstrual changes
- Mood changes
- Nausea
- Sexual dysfunction or loss of interest in sex
- Vaginal dryness
- Weakened bones
Your oncology team can treat some of these side effects, so talk to your team if you’re experiencing any.
Hormone therapy at Reid
At Reid Cancer Center, our oncologists and other specialists are here to walk you through your entire cancer journey. If your cancer is related to hormones, hormonal therapy might be recommended as part of a cancer treatment plan.
We have years of experience and advanced expertise in helping cancer patients who are undergoing hormonal therapy. If your treatment plan calls for hormonal therapy in tablet form, we’ll make sure you have access to the medication you need. If hormonal therapy for your type of cancer comes in an injected form, we can provide that injection on-site at the Cancer Center.
And when surgery is needed as part of hormonal therapy, a surgical oncologist can perform the procedure in Reid’s surgical suites, which are equipped with the latest technological advancements.
No matter what your need, we have the hormonal therapy services required to give you optimal care, right here in our community.
Take the next step in your care
Nationally recognised breast care
Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®)
National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC)
NAPBC Certification recognizes breast centers that meet national standards for high-quality, comprehensive breast care.
