Alternative therapies for cancer

Question 1

What cancers does hormone therapy treat?

Answer 1

-Hormone-dependent tumours
-Breast
-Prostate
-Endometrium
-Lymphocytic malignancies eg lymphoma, leukaemia, myeloma

Question 2

What stages is hormone therapy used in?

Answer 2

-To shrink primary tumours before (Neo-adjuvant) or instead of (primary) surgery
-To prevent / delay growth of micro mets following surgery (adjuvant)
-To shrink established mets and improve duration / QoL (palliative)

Question 3

What methods of hormone therapy are used?

Answer 3

-Removal of the source of a growth-promoting hormone
-Hormone inhibitors
-Increasing hormones

Question 4

What examples are there of removing the source of a hormone as hormone therapy?

Answer 4

-Bilateral oophorectomy in endometrial cancer
-Bilateral orchidectomy in testicular cancer
-Ovarian ablation in ovarian cancer
-Long-acting LHRH analogues in men and women

Question 5

What examples are there of hormone inhibitors?

Answer 5

-Tamoxifen acts as an anti-oestrogen (breast cancer)
-Steroidal and non-steroidal anti-androgens in prostate cancer