My sister was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and one of her treatments was Hormone Therapy. I was a little puzzled by this, as I always thought that HRT was unsafe for women with breast cancer. I’ve since found out that Hormone Therapy is NOT the same thing as Hormone Replacement Therapy or HRT.

Hormone replacement therapy is generally used to treat menopause symptoms such as mood swings and hot flashes that don’t respond to alternative treatments. Hormone Therapy is an anti-estrogen therapy that works against hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. They work by lowering the amount of estrogen hormone in the body and by blocking the action of estrogen in the body. This treatment works for hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers. Estrogen makes this type of tumor grow, so by reducing the amount of estrogen produced by the body or by blocking the action of estrogen, you can help the cancer tumors shrink and can reduce the risk of new tumors from growing or recurring. This treatment does not work for hormone-receptor-negative breast cancer.

To learn more about Hormone Therapy as a treatment for Breast Cancer click here