Hormonal treatment is a way of treating
breast cancer through the use of drugs that work to reduce the
production, or block the effect, of natural hormones in your body. These
hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, can cause cancer cells to
grow and spread.
How hormonal treatment works
Some breast cancer tumors need hormones to grow. These tumors are
said to have receptors for the hormones estrogen and/or progesterone,
and are also called hormone receptor positive.
Hormonal treatments act in one of two ways:
- By blocking the ability of estrogen to reach cancer cells by
binding to the receptor and preventing estrogen from attaching to it
OR
- By reducing the amount of estrogen in your body, either by
inhibiting the process by which estrogen is made or by stopping the
production of estrogen by the ovaries.
Hormonal treatment is commonly used as adjuvant therapy, which means
it is used immediately after surgery and/or radiation.
- Hormonal treatment does not take the place of surgery and/or
radiation for early breast cancer.
- Rather, it is used before or after these initial treatments.
Some hormonal treatments can also be used as neoadjuvant therapy,
which means they are used before surgery and/or radiation.
- Neoadjuvant therapy may reduce the size of the tumor so it is
easier to remove during surgery or easier to treat with radiation.
- In some cases, neoadjuvant therapy may reduce the tumor�s size
so the tumor is small enough to allow for breast-conserving surgery
versus a mastectomy.
It's important to note that hormonal treatment for breast cancer is
NOT the same as hormone replacement therapy (also called HRT), which
supplies estrogen to women to help ease the symptoms of menopause. HRT
should generally not be administered to women who have had breast cancer
because the estrogen and/or progesterone could increase the risk of
recurrence.
Is hormonal treatment right for you?
Every woman's disease is different, but in order to be considered a
candidate for hormonal treatment, certain factors come into play.
Hormone receptor status:
Breast cancer cells that have receptors for the hormones estrogen
and/or progesterone are called hormone receptor positive. They can be
estrogen receptor positive and/or progesterone receptor positive.
Hormonal treatment works best when the tumor cells are hormone receptor
positive. For those cancers that are not hormone receptor positive,
hormonal treatment usually has little effect and is generally not used.
Lab tests of your cancer biopsy tell your medical team whether your
breast cancer is hormone receptor positive. Learn more about
understanding your pathology report.
Menopausal status:
Your menopausal status � whether or not you have permanently stopped
having menstrual periods � is an important factor in determining which
type of hormonal treatment is appropriate. Some hormonal treatments may
be used for premenopausal or postmenopausal women, while some are only
for postmenopausal women and others are only used for premenopausal
women.
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed, you need answers
� and reassurance, call or
email us at (972) 284-0080.
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