Hormone therapy is typically effective in which cancers?

• A. Hormone-dependent cancers such as breast cancer and prostate cancer
• B. All cancers equally
• C. Only pediatric cancers
• D. Only non-cancerous conditions

Answer: (A)

Hormone therapy is effective when the cancer’s growth depends on hormonal signaling. Some cancers, like breast cancers that have estrogen or progesterone receptors and prostate cancers that rely on androgens, grow in response to hormones. Treatments inactivate or block these hormonal signals—for example, lowering estrogen production with aromatase inhibitors, blocking hormone receptors with selective modulators, or reducing testosterone with agents that suppress production or block receptors. Cancers that don’t depend on hormones for growth won’t respond to this approach, which is why hormone therapy isn’t effective for all cancers or for non-cancerous conditions.