Dr. Linette Williamson - Hormone Therapy in Oceanside

Hormone Therapy to Treat Cancer

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 Hormone Therapy Works Against Cancer

Hormone therapy is used to:

Treat cancer-- Hormone therapy can reduce the possibility that cancer will return or stop or slow its growth
Ease cancer symptoms-- Hormone therapy may be used to minimize or prevent symptoms in males with prostate cancer who are unable to have surgery or radiation therapy

Types of Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy falls under two broad groups, those that stop the body's ability to produce hormones and those that disrupt how hormones behave in the body.

Who Receives Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy is used to treat prostate and breast cancers that use hormones to grow. Hormone therapy is usually used along with other cancer treatments. The kinds of treatment that you need depend on the type of cancer, if it has spread and how far, if it uses hormones to grow, and if you have other health problems.

How Hormone Therapy Is Used with Other Cancer Treatments

When used with other treatments, hormone therapy can:

Make a tumor shrink before surgery or radiation therapy-- This is called neoadjuvant therapy
Reduce the risk that cancer will return after the main treatment-- This is called adjuvant therapy
Destroy cancer cells that have returned or infected other parts of your body

Hormone Therapy Can Cause Side Effects

Because hormone therapy blocks your body's ability to generate hormones or disrupts how hormones behave, it can cause unwanted side effects. The side effects you have will depend on the type of hormone therapy you receive and the way your body responds to it. People respond differently to the same treatment, so not everyone gets the same side effects. Some side effects also differ if you are a man or a woman.

Some common side effects for males that receive hormone therapy for prostate cancer consist of:

Hot flashes
Loss of interest in or ability to have sex
Weakened bones
Diarrhea
Nausea
Enlarged and tender breasts
Fatigue

Some common side effects for women that receive hormone therapy for breast cancer consist of:

Hot flashes
Vaginal dryness
Changes in your periods if you have not yet reached menopause
Loss of interest in sex
Nausea
Mood changes
Fatigue

How Much Hormone Therapy Costs

The cost of hormone therapy depends on:

The types of hormone therapy you receive
How long and how frequently you receive hormone therapy
The part of the country where you live

Talk with your health insurance provider regarding what services it will cover. Most insurance plans pay for hormone therapy for their participants. For more information, go to the National Cancer Institute database, Organizations that Offer Support Services and search "financial assistance." Or call toll-free 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) to seek help.

What to Anticipate When Receiving Hormone Therapy

How Hormone Therapy Is Provided

Hormone therapy may be given in several ways. Some common methods include:

Oral-- Hormone therapy is available in pills that you swallow.
Injection-- The hormone therapy is administered 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 stomach.
Surgery-- You may have surgery to remove organs that generate hormones. In women, the ovaries are removed. In males, the testicles are removed.

Where You Receive Hormone Therapy

Where you get treatment depends on which hormone therapy you are receiving and how it is provided. You may take hormone therapy in your home. Or, you might take hormone therapy in a doctor's office, clinic, or hospital.

How Hormone Therapy Can Affect You

Hormone therapy affects individuals in various ways. How you feel depends on the kind of cancer you have, how advanced it is, the type of hormone therapy you are receiving, as well as the dose. Your physicians and nurses can not know for certain exactly how you will feel throughout hormone therapy.

How to Tell If Hormone Therapy Is Working

If you are taking hormone therapy for prostate cancer, you will have routine PSA tests. If hormone therapy is working, your PSA levels will remain the same or might even go down. However, if your PSA levels increase, this might be a sign that the therapy is no longer working. If this occurs, your doctor will go over treatment alternatives with you.

If you are taking hormone therapy for breast cancer, you will have regular checkups. Checkups usually include an exam of the neck, underarm, chest, and breast areas. You will get regular mammograms, though you most likely will not require a mammogram of a reconstructed breast. Your physician might also order other imaging procedures or lab tests.

Special Diet Requirements

Hormone therapy for prostate cancer may result in weight gain. Talk with your doctor, nurse, or dietitian if weight gain becomes an issue for you.

Working During Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy should not interfere with your ability to work.

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