What are Hormones?
Hormones are naturally produced chemicals by the organs of the endocrine system such as the pancreas, thyroid gland, pituitary gland & adrenal gland. These hormones travel across the body through the bloodstream & regulate every cell in the body.
What is Hormone Therapy?
Certain cancers rely on growth of hormones. In other words, certain types of cancers are fueled by these hormones. In such cases, hormone therapy, also known as hormonal therapy or endocrine therapy, can be effective in slowing down or completely stopping the spread of cancer by blocking the body’s ability to produce certain hormones or altering the behaviour of hormone receptors in the body.
Cancers most commonly treated with Hormone therapy include:
- Breast Cancer
- Endometrial Cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Prostate Cancer
In most cases, it is recommended alongside other cancer treatments.
How does Hormone therapy work?
Hormone therapy stops the body from making certain hormones or alters the way they behave. It can also stop these hormones from attaching to cancer cells.
Hormone therapy may be administered through pills, capsule or liquid . It may also be given as an injection in the arm, leg, hip or belly.
Surgical intervention may also be recommended in breast & prostate cancer to remove the organs that make hormones such as ovaries or testicles.
Dr GVK Reddy, the best doctor for cancer treatment in Hyderabad, has successfully treated numerous cases of breast cancer & pancreatic cancer through hormone therapy.
Does it have any side effects?
In case of breast cancer, the patient may experience some side effects such as:
- Hot flashes
- Vaginal discharge
- Lower sex drive
- Fatigue
- Muscle or joint pain
- Nausea
If a patient is administered hormone therapy for prostate cancer, he may experience:
- Hot flashes
- Lower sex drive
- Trouble with erection
- Fatigue
- Weight gain
- Lower muscle mass
How to know if hormone therapy is working?
Whether or not any treatment approach is working for a patient depends on a variety of factors including the type of cancer being treated. For most patients, frequent radiology tests are done to assess how the tumor is responding i.e. whether it is shrinking, staying the same or growing. Certain types of cancers may be assessed with specific tumor markers.
Tumor marker is a substance that is either directly produced by the tumor or by the body in response to it, and can be measured with the help of a blood test.
If therapy is effective, the tumor marker level is expected to decrease. In certain cases, improvement in patient’s symptoms may be a sign of whether or not the treatment is working.
To know exactly if the treatment is working for you or not, speak to your oncologist.
How hormone therapy may affect the patient?
Hormone therapy affects different people differently. How a patient feels depends many factors such as:
- Type of cancer
- How advanced the cancer is
- Type of hormone therapy administered
- Dosage
Why should you consider Dr. GVK Reddy?
Dr. G Vamshi Krishna Reddy is an experienced & highly skilled medical oncologist who treats patients with utmost care & compassion. He has successfully treated patients with different types of cancers through a personalised treatment approach.
Dr. GVK Reddy is here to offer you the best hormone therapy treatment in Hyderabad. Book an Appointment today!
Dr. G Vamshi Krishna Reddy is the Best Cancer Doctor in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. He specializes in treating different types of cancer and their metastasis. He is one of the Best Cancer Specialist near Malakpet in Hyderabad. He is the best Oncologist in Hyderabad to give Hormone Therapy treatment and etc.
