What is 'hormone therapy'?

What is 'hormone therapy'?

Hormonal therapy is a type of therapy we utilize as oncologists in several different types of malignancies. I think the most common condition that we use hormonal therapy is in the treatment of breast cancer. Whether it is to prevent breast cancer from occurring as a chemo-preventative type of therapy, to the prevention of recurrence of the disease after patience have been treated with chemotherapy or radiation. When we talk about hormonal therapy, we talk about blocking hormones. So in breast cancer we block estrogen. Whether it be with the drug Tomoxophyn or Roloxophyn or the newer agents like the aroma taste inhibitors, Phemara, Arymadex, Aromasin, and Vasledex. All those treatments aim to block hormones. And certain cancers grow in the face of hormones. Breast cancers as I mentioned, grow in the face of hormones. Prostate cancer, a disease that grows in the face of androgens or male sex hormones. We have agents there to block male sex hormones, so treatment of prostate cancer is used utilizing a hormone blockade. So breast cancer and prostate cancer are the landmark type of diseases and malignancies that are treated with anti-hormonal therapy.