Hormonal Therapy

Hormone therapy is a cancer treatment that slows or stops the growth of cancer that uses hormones to grow. Hormone therapy is also called hormonal therapy, hormone treatment, or endocrine therapy.

How Is Hormonal Therapy Used?

Hormonal therapy serves two primary purposes:

Treating Cancer: By slowing or stopping tumor growth, it can reduce the risk of cancer returning.
Relieving Symptoms: Particularly helpful for men with advanced prostate cancer who may not be candidates for surgery or radiation therapy.

Types of Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy falls into two broad groups, those that block the body’s ability to produce hormones and those that interfere with how hormones behave in the body.

Hormonal therapy can be given in two main ways:

Oral medications: Pills that are taken by mouth.
Injections: Hormone therapy is given by a shot in a muscle in your arm, thigh, or hip, or right under the skin in the fatty part of your arm, leg, or belly.

Which Types of Cancer Benefit from Hormonal Therapy?

Hormonal therapy is commonly used for cancers that rely on hormones for growth, such as:

Breast cancer
Prostate cancer
Endometrial (uterine) cancer

Side Effects of Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy works by blocking your body's hormone production or altering how hormones function, which may lead to unwanted side effects. The side effects you experience will vary based on the type of hormone therapy you undergo and how your body reacts to it. Responses to the same treatment differ from person to person, so side effects are not the same for everyone. Additionally, certain side effects may differ depending on whether you are male or female.

Some common side effects for men who receive hormone therapy for prostate cancer include