Hormone therapy

Hormones are substances that are produced naturally in the body and affect how the body works. Some cancers use hormones to grow. This means the cancer is hormone dependent.

Hormone therapy may also be called hormone-blocking therapy, endocrine therapy or androgen deprivation therapy.

The aim of hormone therapy is to lower the amount of hormones the tumour receives. This can help reduce the size and slow down the spread of the cancer. It can also reduce the risk of the cancer returning after treatment.

Common cancers that can be treated with hormone therapy include:

• breast cancer – often depends on the hormone oestrogen to grow; drugs include tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors such as anastrozole, exemestane, letrozole
• prostate cancer – depends on the hormone testosterone to grow; the most common drug used is goserelin
• uterine cancer – depends on progesterone to grow; drugs include medroxyprogesterone.

Hormone therapy can be given as tablets, injections or through a device placed in the uterus. It can be used for a short time or long term. How long you have hormone therapy depends on the aim of the treatment, how the cancer responds and any side effects you have.

Hormone therapy drugs affect hormone levels throughout your whole body and cause side effects. Possible side effects include tiredness, hot flushes, mood changes, weight gain and sweating.

For more on this, see our general section on Hormone therapy.

→ READ MORE: Life after chemotherapy