Cancer involves abnormal cells growing uncontrollably, invading nearby tissues, and spreading to other parts of the body through metastasis.
Send us all your questions or requests, and our expert team will assist you.
Hormone therapy, also known as endocrine therapy in cancer care, is a targeted treatment that takes advantage of how some cancer cells depend on hormones. Unlike chemotherapy, which kills fast-growing cells, or radiation, which damages DNA, hormone therapy changes the body’s hormone levels to slow or stop the growth of hormone-sensitive tumors. It works by blocking the signals that cancer cells need to grow and survive, essentially starving them of the hormones they rely on.
Hormone therapy is based on the idea that some cancers depend on hormones to grow. Tissues like the breast, prostate, uterus, and ovaries are controlled by hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. When these tissues become cancerous, the cells often keep their hormone receptors. When a hormone attaches to its receptor, it triggers the cell to grow and divide. Hormone therapy stops this process by either lowering hormone levels in the body or blocking the receptors on cancer cells.
Hormone therapy changes the hormone environment around cancer cells, causing them to stop growing or die. It mainly affects cells that have the right hormone receptors, leaving other cells mostly unharmed. This makes hormone therapy one of the earliest forms of targeted cancer treatment. There are several types of hormone therapy drugs, such as Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators, Aromatase Inhibitors, Anti-androgens, and Luteinizing Hormone Releasing Hormone agonists. Each type works at a different point in the hormone system.
The efficacy of hormone therapy depends on precise inhibition of nuclear receptor signaling. In hormone-positive breast cancer, the Estrogen Receptor acts as the primary driver. Agents known as Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators bind to the ER but fail to induce the conformational change required for transcriptional activation. They effectively clog the receptor, preventing the natural hormone (estradiol) from binding. Interestingly, these drugs exhibit tissue specificity, acting as antagonists in the breast but potentially as agonists in bone or the uterus, highlighting the complexity of receptor biology.
For prostate cancer, the main target is the Androgen Receptor. These tumors need testosterone and a related hormone, dihydrotestosterone, to grow. Antiandrogen drugs block these hormones from attaching to the receptor. Newer drugs are even better at blocking the receptor and stopping it from moving into the cell’s nucleus. This approach is very specific, focusing on blocking a key process in cancer cells rather than harming all cells.
Researchers around the world are working to solve the problem of endocrine resistance. Although hormone therapy often works at first, cancer cells can adapt and find ways to keep growing. Scientists are studying the genes of resistant tumors to find mutations, like ESR1 mutations in breast cancer, that let the receptor stay active even without hormones. This research is leading to new drugs that not only block the receptor but also remove it from the cell.
Hormone therapy changes how cancer cells receive survival signals. Without the hormones they need, these cancer cells stop dividing and may eventually die. This treatment creates an environment where cancer cells cannot survive or grow. In some cases, hormone therapy is continued for years to keep any hidden cancer cells from coming back.
Key Physiological Mechanisms Utilized
Send us all your questions or requests, and our expert team will assist you.
Hormone Replacement Therapy is used to supplement the body with hormones that are naturally declining, often to treat menopausal symptoms. Hormone Therapy for cancer is the exact opposite; it is an anti-hormone treatment designed to block, lower, or remove hormones from the body to starve cancer cells that rely on them for growth.
No, hormone therapy is only effective for breast cancers that test positive for hormone receptors, specifically Estrogen Receptors or Progesterone Receptors. These tumors are called HR positive. If the cancer is HR-negative, the cells lack receptors for hormone binding, so blocking hormones would not affect the tumor.
No, chemotherapy uses cytotoxic drugs to kill rapidly dividing cells throughout the body. Hormone therapy is a type of targeted therapy that specifically works on the endocrine system to alter hormone levels or block hormone receptors. They have different mechanisms of action and side-effect profiles, and are often used together or in sequence.
The duration of hormone therapy depends on the type and stage of cancer. In the adjuvant setting for early-stage breast cancer, it is typically taken for 5 to 10 years to prevent recurrence. For metastatic disease, it is often continued indefinitely as long as it is effective in controlling the cancer.
No, they are different. Targeted therapy uses drugs to block specific proteins or genes that drive cancer growth. Gene therapy involves replacing, inactivating, or introducing genes into cells to treat a disease. Targeted therapy acts on gene products (proteins), while gene therapy acts on the genes themselves.
Millions of people with breast cancer rely on the ‘5-year pill’ for treatment. It greatly boosts survival chances and cuts down on cancer coming back,
<SEP-15076_image_1>Progesterone receptors (PR) are proteins inside breast cancer cells. They bind to the hormone progesterone. These receptors are key in finding hormone receptor-positive breast cancers.
Patients with estrogen-positive breast cancer need to make smart food choices. Studies show that up to 30% of breast cancer cases in women after menopause
Steroid injections, also called cortisone shots, are commonly used to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. They are often recommended for conditions such as arthritis, tendonitis,
Uterine fibroids are common and affect many women. They cause symptoms that can really impact life quality. Women are looking for natural ways to manage
Your Comparison List (you must select at least 2 packages)
