Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy can also be called anti-hormone treatment. If lab tests show that your breast cancer cells have hormone receptors, then hormone therapy may be an option. (See the part about Lab Tests with Breast Tissue.) Hormone therapy keeps the cancer cells from getting or using the natural hormones (estrogen and progesterone) they need to grow.
If you have not gone through menopause, the options for hormone therapy include…

• A drug that blocks estrogen's activity in the body (tamoxifen)
• Surgery to remove your ovaries (which make estrogen)
• A drug that reduces the amount of estrogen made by the ovaries (LH-RH agonist)

If you have gone through menopause, the options include…

• A drug that prevents the body from making estrogen (aromatase inhibitor)
• Tamoxifen

The side effects of hormone therapy depend on the type used. The most common side effects are hot flashes, vaginal discharge, and nausea.