General Cancer Information

Hormonal Therapy

It has been recognized for the past 1/2 century that some tumors, like breast cancer, often seem dependent on female hormones (i.e. estrogen) to grow. By either removing the ovaries (which produce estrogen), radiating them, or more commonly giving drugs that counteract estrogen (like tamoxifen) growth of breast cancer may be slowed. The principles of hormonal treatment have also been applied to prostate cancer, uterus cancer, and meningiomas (tumors of the lining of the brain and spinal cord). Sometimes a can- cer will respond for a years to a particular hormone, then develop resistance to it. Often, a stronger replacement is then effective. Doctors like to start with milder hormones, since the side effects are also less. For example, when women are stared on tamoxifen for breast cancer, they might get hot flashes and irritable, but when given male hormones like halotestin, they get more muscular, hairy, and deeper voices. While most men are given mild anti- testosterone hormones for prostate cancer lose sexual drive, when given female hormones to fight prostate cancer their breasts grow in addition to being impotent. They key in advanced cancer is balancing the need the fight the cancer against the quality of the patient's remaining life.