What Are Hormone-Sensitive Cancers?

Hormones are key to a lot of the work your body does. These natural chemicals affect everything from menopause to metabolism to your mood.

But they’re also useful to some types of cancer -- they help some tumors grow and spread. These kinds are called hormone-sensitive or hormone-dependent.

When a tumor is hormone-sensitive, its cells have proteins on their surfaces called receptors. They link to hormones like a lock and key. When the hormone “key” opens the “lock” of the receptor, the cancer cell grows and spreads. 

Types of Hormone-Sensitive Cancer

Not all cancers are fueled by hormones. But a few types can be, such as:

• Breast cancer. Some types need estrogen and progesterone to grow.
• Ovarian cancer. It can be affected by estrogen.
• Uterine or endometrial cancer. Estrogen and progesterone can fuel some types.
• Prostate cancer. Testosterone and similar hormones can help it grow and spread.

It’s important to know whether or not your cancer is hormone-sensitive. That affects how your doctor will treat it.

How Do I Know If My Cancer Is Hormone-Sensitive?

Your doctor can find out by testing your cancer’s cells. They’ll take a small piece of your tumor, called a biopsy. It goes to a lab for testing. The lab technician will use a microscope to look at the cells in the sample. If they see a lot of receptors on them, that means your tumor is hormone-sensitive.

Treatment for Hormone-Sensitive Cancers

Once your doctor knows that you have this type of cancer, they may recommend treatment with hormone therapy. There are a few types, and they work in different ways:

• Some treatments can block the receptors on your cancer cells. That prevents the cancer from using the hormones.
• Surgery can take out the part of your body that makes the hormone that’s fueling your tumor. For example, taking out a woman’s ovaries before menopause takes away their main source of estrogen.
• You can take medicine to stop your body from making certain hormones. Men with prostate cancer may be given medication that reduces their testosterone level to nearly zero.