Hormone Therapy For the Treatment of Breast Cancer

Hormone therapy used to be considered the last line of defense against aggressive cancers. If you were diagnosed with cancer, chances are you received some form of hormonal therapy. Hormone treatment is commonly used to treat breast and prostate cancers, which make use of hormones to increase growth. Hormone treatment is often combined with chemotherapy and other cancer treatments too. The various forms of therapy that you require will depend on how advanced your cancer is, whether it only uses hormones to increase growth, if you already have other health conditions and if it uses hormones for tumor treatment. Click here for more info about hormone therap.

Some people prefer hormone therapy for treating advanced cancers because it doesn't involve surgery or radiation. Often referred to as hormone treatment plans, these plans often include hormone inhibitors, hormone receptor blocking agents, and anti-androgen medications. These medications stop the production of testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone. There are other drugs available, such as anti-estrogens, which work in the similar way.

Patients opting for hormone therapy will also benefit from other forms of cancer treatments, including radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, surgery, and Chemotherapy. Each one of these options has its own benefits and downsides. Radiotherapy often kills healthy cells while potentially killing cancerous cells, but side effects can include fatigue, hair loss, and skin irritation. Hormone surgery can lead to incisions, scars, and lasting pain after the procedure.

Hormone replacement therapy can include the use of an aromatase inhibitor. This type of inhibitor prevents testosterone from binding to the aromatase, which is found in the liver. This prevents the body from producing an androgen, or male hormone. An aromatase inhibitor can be used with tamoxifen, another type of hormone therapy used to treat breast cancer.

While men can use hormonal therapy to reduce prostate enlargement, women can also use it to treat symptoms of menopause, like hot flashes and vaginal dryness. The FDA has approved the use of estrogen and progestin to help women suffering from these symptoms. However, because estrogen and progestin have both estrogen and progesterone, some women experience an imbalance. A transdermal patch is available to administer estrogen and progesterone in a pill form. Hormone replacement therapy with estrogen and progesterone is usually recommended for women who are close to the menopause age. Take a this page and discover more about hormone therapy.

Menopause is a normal part of life that most women will go through at some point. Hormone replacement therapy with estrogen and progesterone is an option for many women as an alternative to HRT. When used properly, it can help prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, certain cancers, menopause-related symptoms such as night sweats and vaginal dryness, and other conditions. Some studies show that hormone therapy for women may help prevent certain types of strokes. Before starting hormone therapy, it is important to discuss the benefits with your doctor. Hormone replacement therapy with estrogen alone or estrogen and progesterone usually take about 3 months to start having an effect.  View here for more information about this topic:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormone_therapy.