Hormone Therapy

Partner with the Adventist HealthCare Cancer Centers for access to hormone therapy treatments. Our experienced care teams use targeted hormone therapy as part of comprehensive treatment plans. Your doctor may recommend this therapy to help treat, prevent, or ease symptoms of cancer.

What Are Hormone Treatments?

The hormones your body creates can affect cell growth in areas like breast and prostate tissue. Controlling the level of hormones your body produces can help shrink some tumors or stop them from growing.

Although hormone therapy can be an effective treatment on its own, doctors most often use it alongside other cancer treatments. Hormone therapy is also sometimes called endocrine therapy.

Hormone-Sensitive Cancers

Hormone therapy works well against hormone-sensitive cancers like:

Common Uses for Hormone Therapy

Your cancer care team may use hormone therapy to:

  • Reduce the size of tumors before surgery
  • Prevent the spread of cancer while you receive another treatment
  • Ease the symptoms of cancer during other treatments
  • Decrease the chance of recurrence while your cancer is in remission

How Hormone Therapy Works

You may receive hormone therapy in one of three ways:

  • Injections – You or your doctor may inject the medication into your leg, hip, belly, or arm.
  • Orally – Some hormone therapy comes as pills you swallow.
  • Surgically – A surgeon may need to remove your hormone-producing organs: your ovaries or your testicles.

Side Effects

Like all cancer treatments, hormone therapy comes with certain risks. Please ask your doctor any questions you have about hormone therapy side effects. We’ll help you manage them to improve your quality of life.

Side Effects for Men

  • Hot flashes
  • Decreased sex drive
  • Diarrhea
  • Nausea
  • Fatigue
  • Enlarged breast tissue

Side Effects for Women

  • Hot flashes
  • Decreased sex drive
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Period changes
  • Nausea
  • Mood swings

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