What medicines are used for hormone therapy?
Hormone therapy may be used to prevent the growth, spread, and recurrence of breast cancer. The female hormone oestrogen can increase the growth of breast cancer cells in some women. An example of this type of medicine is tamoxifen. It works by blocking the effects of oestrogen on the growth of cancer cells in breast tissue. But tamoxifen does not stop the production of oestrogen. Men who have breast cancer may also be treated with tamoxifen.
Tamoxifen is now being studied as a hormone therapy for treatment of other types of cancer. There are several other hormonal agents for breast cancer that target the oestrogen receptor like tamoxifen, such as toremifene and fulvestrant.
Hormone therapy may be used for women whose breast cancers test positive for oestrogen or progesterone receptors.
Aromatase inhibitors are newer medicines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They are used to treat advanced breast cancer or prevent the recurrence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. These medicines prevent oestrogen production in postmenopausal women. They may be the medicine of choice for women who are past menopause. They include anastrozole, letrozole, and exemestane.
The FDA approved the use of raloxifene for postmenopausal women who are at high risk for breast cancer. It is also given to women who have osteoporosis. Raloxifene is not for use in premenopausal women. It now joins tamoxifen as another medicine that can be used to help at-risk women lower their risk of invasive breast cancer.
Fulvestrant is also approved by the FDA. It binds with the oestrogen receptor and eliminates it, rather than just blocking it. It makes oestrogen less effective in promoting growth of the cancer.
With prostate cancer, there may be a variety of medicines used in hormone therapy. Male hormones, such as testosterone, stimulate prostate cancer to grow. Hormone therapy is given to help stop hormone production and to block the activity of the male hormones. Hormone therapy can cause a tumour to shrink and the prostate-specific antigen levels to decrease.