Hormone therapy is also known as hormonal therapy or endocrine therapy, it aims to slow or stop the growth of cancer that uses hormones to grow. It is used in cancer treatment to stop or slow cancer’s growth and reduce the chance of recurrence and reduce or prevent cancer symptoms in men with prostate cancer who are not eligible for surgery or radiation therapy.
Hormone therapy is used in the treatment of prostate and breast cancers that use hormones to grow, it is often used along with other cancer treatments. The treatment plan varies depending on the type of cancer, such as if it has spread and how far, if it uses hormones to grow, and if you have other health problems.
Who can benefit from hormone therapy?
The benefits of hormone therapy may outweigh the risks if you’re healthy and you:
- Have moderate to severe hot flashes. Systemic estrogen therapy remains the most effective treatment for the relief of troublesome menopausal hot flashes and night sweats.
- Have other symptoms of menopause. Estrogen can ease vaginal symptoms of menopause, such as dryness, itching, burning and discomfort with intercourse.
- Need to prevent bone loss or fractures. Systemic estrogen helps protect against the bone-thinning disease called osteoporosis. However, doctors usually recommend medications called bisphosphonates to treat osteoporosis. But estrogen therapy may help if you either can’t tolerate or aren’t benefiting from other treatments.
- Experience early menopause or have estrogen deficiency. If you had your ovaries surgically removed before age 45, stopped having periods before age 45 (premature or early menopause) or lost normal function of your ovaries before age 40 (primary ovarian insufficiency), your body has been exposed to less estrogen than the bodies of women who experience typical menopause. Estrogen therapy can help decrease your risk of certain health conditions, including osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, dementia and mood changes.
What are the risks of hormone therapy?
In the largest clinical trial to date, hormone replacement therapy that consisted of an estrogen-progestin pill (Prempro) increased the risk of certain serious conditions, including:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Blood clots
- Breast cancer
Subsequent studies have suggested that these risks vary depending on:
- Age. Women who begin hormone therapy at age 60 or older or more than 10 years from the onset of menopause are at greater risk of the above conditions. But if hormone therapy is started before the age of 60 or within 10 years of menopause, the benefits appear to outweigh the risks.
- Type of hormone therapy. The risks of hormone therapy vary depending on whether estrogen is given alone or with progestin, and on the dose and type of estrogen.
- Health history. Your family history and your personal medical history and risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, blood clots, liver disease and osteoporosis are important factors in determining whether hormone replacement therapy is appropriate for you.
All of these risks should be considered by you and your doctor when deciding whether hormone therapy might be an option for you.