Hormone Therapy
How will I know if hormone therapy will help me?
Hormone therapy will help you if you have the sort of cancer that is helped to grow by oestrogen.
To find out, tests are done on a small part of the breast cancer. If the tests show that your cancer is helped to grow by oestrogen, it is oestrogen receptor positive. This means hormone therapy will be helpful in treating your breast cancer.
If your breast cancer is not the sort that is helped to grow by oestrogen, it is oestrogen receptor negative. This means hormone therapy will not be used in treating your breast cancer. There are lots of different hormone therapy drugs.
Hormone therapy is usually given after you have had other treatments. Sometimes it is given before surgery. You may also here it called endocrine therapy.
Types of hormone therapy
There are different types of hormone therapy used to treat breast cancer. Tamoxifen can be used for both pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women. Aromatase Inhibitors, of which there are three, Anastrozole, Letrozole and Exemestane can only be prescribed to post-menopausal women.
How long do I have to take hormone therapy for?
In early breast cancer, if you are advised to take hormone therapy you will usually take it for five years. Some people are now recommended to take it for ten years.
The length of time you will be recommended to take hormone therapy for will vary depending on your circumstances. You can ask your specialist about this.
Hormone therapy is taken as a tablet once a day and is prescribed by your GP.
What are the side effects of hormone therapy?
The drugs used in hormone therapy can cause side effects.
The drugs used in hormone therapy can cause side effects. The most common side effects are menopausal symptoms such as:
- Hot flushes.
- Night sweats.
- Vaginal dryness.
- Mood changes.
Other common side effects with most hormone drugs include:
- Joint/muscle pain and stiffness.
- Headaches.
- Nausea.
- Effects on the bones.
- Tiredness.
- Changes to the skin and hair.
- Weight changes.
Always tell your breast care nurse or treatment team how your treatment is affecting you. They can often suggest things to help make side effects easier to cope with.
Information leaflets for each type of hormone therapy is available in the Leeds Breast Unit or for further information, please visit breastcancercare.org.uk
Disclaimer: On this website you will find advice to help you manage some of the more common but milder symptoms and side effects of breast cancer surgery. Please ONLY use this advice if you are currently participating in the ePainQ research project, otherwise you must follow the advice given to you by your medical team.
Clicking on the links in the left hand menu will take you to advice on looking after yourself during treatment. If after following the advice you don’t feel your symptoms are being successfully managed or relieved, or if you become more unwell, you should contact your hospital medical team immediately.