Hormone Therapy for Cancer Patients
Hormones are one of the most vital parts of our genetic makeup and
when something goes wrong with one of the many that we have in our bodies it
can cause serious issues. They help to regulate your body's processes, like
hunger, blood pressure, and sex drive. While they are important and we need
them to be able to function, scientists have also found that some cancers are
"fueled" by hormones and may depend on them to grow. This is where
hormone therapy comes into play. Not to be mistaken with hormone replacement
therapy, regular hormone therapy is used to help block hormones and their
actions. There are three ways that you can use hormones to help stop the growth
of your cancer and they are, to block the hormones from acting. This happens by
blocking the receptor of your cells with another compound so that the
hormone is not able to connect and activate the cell. Another is to prevent the
body from producing the hormone, this can be done with specific medications
that help block the production of said hormone, or with surgery to remove the
organ that produces that hormone. Lastly, you can eliminate the hormone
receptors on cells or change their shape causing them to not be able to
function correctly, and all of this is done with medication that is administered to your body rather than directly to the cancer so that your body starts to essentially "starve" the cancer of the nutrients it needs.
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