A lot of cancers exist in the world today. One of such cancers is breast cancer. Breast cancer can be said to be a malignant tumor that grows in the breast. Women are more vulnerable to developing breast cancer. A malignant tumor can grow and spread to both nearby and distant tissues and organs. This spreading and invasion is known as metastasis.
Over the years, scientists have sought the best ways to cure cancers and have only succeeded in finding out therapies that help to treat and manage them. One of these therapies is called Breast Cancer Hormone Therapy. This treatment aims at removing the tumors and preventing their growth in the future. Although, www.bosterbio.com tells us more about breast cancer, grab a seat and let’s talk about this therapy and its effectiveness
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What is Breast Cancer Hormone Therapy?
Certain types of breast cancers are sensitive to hormones such as progesterone and estrogen. This is because the receptors of these cancer cells easily attach to these hormones which aid them to grow. Breast Cancer Hormone Therapy is the treatment administered to stop progesterone or estrogen from attaching to the receptors of these breast cancer cells. Breast cancer hormone therapy can reach cancer cells regardless of where it is in the body. In other words, it doesn’t just concentrate on stopping cancer cell receptors in the breast from attaching to hormones.
How does Breast Cancer Hormone Therapy work?
There are several available hormone therapies for breast cancer. Some of them aid the lowering of estrogen levels while others stop the action of estrogen on breast cancer cells.
Here are some Breast cancer hormone therapies:
- Drugs that block hormones from attaching to breast cancer cells: The use of drugs such as Tamoxifen, Toremifen (Fareston), Fulvestrant (Faslodex) aims to stop the hormone receptors from attaching to the cancer cells.
- Treatments that stop the ovaries from functioning in women: For women who have not undergone menopause, they may decide to go with treatments such as, surgical removal of the ovaries, radiation therapy, or use of drugs like goserelin to stop their ovaries from functioning. Once the ovaries no longer function, hormones like estrogen and progesterone cannot be produced.
- Medications that inhibit the body from manufacturing estrogen after menopause: Aromatase inhibitors are medicines that lowers your estrogen levels therefore starving breast cancer cells of the required amount of hormones they need to grow. These medicines can only be used by women who have passed through their menopausal stage and are pills taken once a day. These drugs include; Anastrozole, Exemestane, Letrozole.
- Combination of targeted therapy with hormone therapies: When breast cancer spreads to other parts of the body, targeted therapies combined with hormone therapies give the best results. Some drugs used in this way include Everolimus, Abemaciclib, etc. Also, the use of Elisa Mechanism can aid the detection of these cancerous cells thereby helping targeted therapy produce even better results.
Monoclonal antibody development helps in the replacing of antibodies to help boost the immune system during this battle with breast cancer therefore leaving the body less vulnerable to opportunistic infections.
Who can use Breast Cancer Hormone Therapy?
Breast Cancer Hormone Therapy is advised to be used as treatment methods for breast cancer in women that have tumors that have hormone receptors.
When can you Receive Breast Cancer Hormone Therapy?
Breast Cancer Hormone therapy is used after breast cancer surgery as an adjuvant therapy to reduce the risk of cancer coming back. In some breast cancer cases, this therapy is administered before surgery as a neoadjuvant to shrink the tumor. This is done to increase the chances of putting a permanent end to the growth of the tumor. This Hormone therapy can also help to control your cancer if it has spread from the breast too the parts of the body.
How Effective are these Therapies?
Depending on how far the cancer cells have spread, Hormone therapy followed by surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation has been quite effective in reducing the recurrence of breast cancer in women whose hormone-sensitive breast cancer is at the early stage.
In Conclusion
Breast Cancer Hormone therapy can aid in the following ways;
- Reduction of tumor size before surgery.
- Preventing cancer from returning.
- Slowing down or stopping the spread of the cancerous cells.
- Decreasing the risk of cancer development in the other breast.