Some breast cancers are conditional to the fluctuations of hormonal levels, mostly of estrogen and progesterone. According to a breast cancer doctor in Kolkata, these malignant cells have certain receptor proteins that latch onto estrogen and progesterone. These hormones, thus, in turn, fuel the growth of the cancer cells and make them recur even after surgery. Hence, hormonal therapy is advised after or even sometimes as a prolegomena of breast cancer surgery.
To mitigate this risk of recurrence, a breast cancer surgeon often advises hormone therapy. It is sometimes administered as an adjuvant therapy to the surgery. When it is initiated before the surgery, it is called neoadjuvant therapy. Hormonal therapy is usually performed for no longer than five years and is usually advised for women who have a high risk of cancer recurrence.
When is hormone therapy required for the treatment of breast cancer?
Medically speaking, around 2 out of 3 breast cancers are hormone-receptor positive, implying that they are predisposed to grow under the influence of hormones. Hormonal therapy has a bunch of alternatives to remedy this challenge. Let's take a brief walkthrough of the different alternatives of hormonal therapy.
Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs):
This type of drug impedes the estrogen that might fuel the growth and mutation of the cancer cells directly and indirectly. However, these drugs have a benefit: while they act out anti-estrogen effects in the breast cells, they act like estrogen in other tissues of the body, such as the uterus, bones, and other parts of the reproductive system. Tamoxifen and Toremifene fall under this type of drug. A breast cancer surgeon can suggest the most suitable selective estrogen receptor for you.
Selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs):
These drugs resemble SERMs in function. But these bind to the receptors more tightly and potently, often to the effect of completely dissolving or breaking down the receptors in the malignant cells. However, researchers found these drugs to be most fitting and effective for post-menopausal women.
Drugs to lower your estrogen levels:
Another way to check the growth of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer is through drugs that lower estrogen levels or inhibit the production of estrogen in general. Examples of this type of drug are aromatase inhibitors (AIs). AI or aromatase inhibitors bring to a halt most of the production of estrogen in the body, even in post-menopausal women. Even in the body of post-menopausal women, estrogen is produced in the body through the intervention of an enzyme called aromatase. These drugs prevent aromatase from making estrogen.
Hormone therapy is not essential for all breast cancer patients; it only becomes necessary for those with hormone receptor-positive cancer. A thorough assessment of the nature of your malignancy by a breast cancer doctor can help determine whether your type of malignancy requires hormone therapy.
