Hormone Therapy For Endometrial Cancer

Endometrial cancer or the cancer in the lining of the uterus generally occurs in women of advanced age, predominant among the age group of 60-70. This form of cancer is accompanied by excessive bleeding, pain in the lower abdominal region and effusion of white vaginal discharge.

Hormone Therapy For Endometrial Cancer

Goal of the Hormone Therapy

The main aim of the hormone therapy in endometrial cancer is to decrease the existing levels of the estrogen hormone in the blood stream which works in two ways first the decreased levels of estrogen reduces the chances of the flaring up of endometrial cancer in future and it also checks the spread of cancer to other parts of body by stalling the work of malignant carcinogenic cells. Once the level of the disease is reduced other treatment methods can be applied to uproot the problem altogether.

The Medications Used

Progestins are the main type of medication used in the hormone therapy for endometrial cancer. These drugs decrease the levels of estrogen hormone in blood slowing down the growth of carcinogenic cells.

Tamoxifen is another such drug which cuts out the work for the cancer causing cells. However, use of Tamoxifen is more prevalent in the treatment of breast cancer.

Besides these two, gonadotropins are also used to combat endometrial cancer. The work of this hormone medication is to stop the estrogen secretion from the very source.

Gonadotropins inhibit the discharge of estrogen from the ovaries itself. However, the use of these medications has their downsides too. They give rise to symptoms identical to menopause like abdominal cramps, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, increased body weight and decreased bone density leading to increased chances of fracture.

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Surgical Correction

When the condition gets out of hand and medications fail to do the necessary job, the doctors have no options but to find the ultimate solution to deal with the endometrial cancer. With nothing else to do surgery remains the only way out. In the most extreme conditions the physicians remove the root of the problem through surgery.

Ovaries are the female sexual organs that secrete the estrogen hormone and in cases of endometrial cancer estrogen becomes the root of all woes, so the surgeons remove the ovaries in order to deal with the cancer. This corrective surgery is most effective when the cancer is in the initial stages.

Another hormone therapy method in addition to surgical removal is radiation and chemotherapy which are targeted methods to destroy the carcinogenic cells. These target oriented radiations disable the ovaries stopping them from secreting the estrogen hormones.

New Researches

Every day researches are giving rise to newer treatments to combat the endometrial cancer through hormonal therapy. One such brand new medication option is the use of aromatase inhibitors. This new class of hormone therapy medications helps to fight cancer through inhibiting the conversion of other body substances into estrogen hormone.

As a result, the levels on estrogen in the cancerous body get reduced quite drastically. However, there is certain menopause like side effects due to the use of this drug.