{"entity":{"id":"hormonal","kind":"section","name":"Hormonal Therapy","aka":[],"tldr":"Cutting off the hormones that some cancers, especially breast and prostate, need to grow.","summary":"Hormonal therapy groups the treatments that cut off the hormones some cancers, especially breast and prostate, need to grow. It spans aromatase inhibitors, SERMs, SERDs including fulvestrant, oral SERDs and PROTAC degraders such as vepdegestrant, ovarian suppression, androgen deprivation and AR pathway inhibitors, combined with CDK4/6, PI3K/AKT or PARP inhibitors depending on the tumour. Technologies linking here include endocrine therapy, CDK4/6 inhibitors, androgen deprivation and AR pathway inhibitors, and fertility-sparing hormonal treatment of early endometrial cancer. Companies such as Sumitomo Pharma, ESSA Pharma, Eli Lilly and Menarini, the person Bernard Fisher, and ideas on primary endocrine therapy for the frail elderly and low-dose tamoxifen also point here.","asOf":"2026-09-04","links":[{"label":"NCI: Hormone therapy to treat cancer","url":"https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/hormone-therapy"}],"tags":[],"related":[],"cancers":[],"sections":[],"technologies":[],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"order":12,"icon":"hormone"},"route":"/fronts/hormonal/","neighbours":{"company":[{"id":"atossa-therapeutics","kind":"company","name":"Atossa Therapeutics","route":"/companies/atossa-therapeutics/"},{"id":"abcsg","kind":"company","name":"Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group","route":"/companies/abcsg/"},{"id":"breast-cancer-trials","kind":"company","name":"Breast Cancer Trials","route":"/companies/breast-cancer-trials/"},{"id":"eli-lilly","kind":"company","name":"Eli Lilly (incl. Loxo)","route":"/companies/eli-lilly/"},{"id":"essa-pharma","kind":"company","name":"ESSA Pharma","route":"/companies/essa-pharma/"},{"id":"etop-ibcsg","kind":"company","name":"ETOP IBCSG Partners Foundation","route":"/companies/etop-ibcsg/"},{"id":"geicam","kind":"company","name":"GEICAM Spanish Breast Cancer Group","route":"/companies/geicam/"},{"id":"menarini","kind":"company","name":"Menarini / Stemline","route":"/companies/menarini/"},{"id":"sumitomo-pharma","kind":"company","name":"Sumitomo Pharma (Myovant)","route":"/companies/sumitomo-pharma/"},{"id":"tolmar","kind":"company","name":"Tolmar","route":"/companies/tolmar/"},{"id":"veru","kind":"company","name":"Veru","route":"/companies/veru/"},{"id":"zydus","kind":"company","name":"Zydus Lifesciences","route":"/companies/zydus/"}],"technology":[{"id":"acupuncture-aromatase-inhibitor-arthralgia","kind":"technology","name":"Acupuncture for aromatase-inhibitor joint pain","route":"/technologies/acupuncture-aromatase-inhibitor-arthralgia/"},{"id":"acupuncture-hot-flushes","kind":"technology","name":"Acupuncture for hot flushes on endocrine therapy","route":"/technologies/acupuncture-hot-flushes/"},{"id":"androgen-deprivation","kind":"technology","name":"Androgen deprivation & AR pathway inhibitors","route":"/technologies/androgen-deprivation/"},{"id":"hair-antiandrogens-alopecia","kind":"technology","name":"Antiandrogens for hair: spironolactone, finasteride, dutasteride","route":"/technologies/hair-antiandrogens-alopecia/"},{"id":"cancer-treatment-bone-loss","kind":"technology","name":"Bone loss caused by cancer treatment, and what rebuilds it","route":"/technologies/cancer-treatment-bone-loss/"},{"id":"cdk46-inhibitor","kind":"technology","name":"CDK4/6 inhibitors","route":"/technologies/cdk46-inhibitor/"},{"id":"dietitian-led-weight-loss-breast","kind":"technology","name":"Dietitian-led weight-loss programmes in HR-positive breast cancer","route":"/technologies/dietitian-led-weight-loss-breast/"},{"id":"endocrine-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Endocrine therapy (SERMs, AIs, SERDs)","route":"/technologies/endocrine-therapy/"},{"id":"rejuv-paed-fertility-male","kind":"technology","name":"Fertility in boys and young men treated for cancer, including testicular tissue banking","route":"/technologies/rejuv-paed-fertility-male/"},{"id":"rejuv-paed-fertility-female","kind":"technology","name":"Fertility in girls and young women treated for cancer, including ovarian tissue freezing","route":"/technologies/rejuv-paed-fertility-female/"},{"id":"fertility-sparing-endometrial","kind":"technology","name":"Fertility-sparing hormonal treatment of early endometrial cancer","route":"/technologies/fertility-sparing-endometrial/"},{"id":"rejuv-paed-growth-and-height","kind":"technology","name":"Growth and final height after treatment in childhood, and growth hormone","route":"/technologies/rejuv-paed-growth-and-height/"},{"id":"menopause-after-cancer-treatment","kind":"technology","name":"Menopause brought on by cancer treatment, and the options for it","route":"/technologies/menopause-after-cancer-treatment/"},{"id":"minoxidil-chemotherapy-alopecia","kind":"technology","name":"Minoxidil for persistent chemotherapy- and endocrine-therapy hair loss","route":"/technologies/minoxidil-chemotherapy-alopecia/"},{"id":"oral-serds","kind":"technology","name":"Oral SERDs","route":"/technologies/oral-serds/"},{"id":"soy-breast-cancer","kind":"technology","name":"Soy foods and breast cancer","route":"/technologies/soy-breast-cancer/"},{"id":"testosterone-after-cancer-treatment","kind":"technology","name":"Testosterone after cancer treatment in men","route":"/technologies/testosterone-after-cancer-treatment/"},{"id":"rejuv-paed-pituitary-and-puberty","kind":"technology","name":"The pituitary, puberty and the hypothalamic axis after cranial radiotherapy in childhood","route":"/technologies/rejuv-paed-pituitary-and-puberty/"},{"id":"vaginal-oestrogen-after-breast-cancer","kind":"technology","name":"Vaginal oestrogen after breast cancer: what the evidence says, and where it disagrees","route":"/technologies/vaginal-oestrogen-after-breast-cancer/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-abiraterone-acetate-prostate-n-engl-j-med-2013","kind":"paper","name":"Abiraterone in metastatic prostate cancer without previous chemotherapy","route":"/key-papers/paper-abiraterone-acetate-prostate-n-engl-j-med-2013/"},{"id":"paper-scher-affirm-enzalutamide-nejm-2012","kind":"paper","name":"AFFIRM: increased survival with enzalutamide in prostate cancer after chemotherapy","route":"/key-papers/paper-scher-affirm-enzalutamide-nejm-2012/"},{"id":"paper-antonarakis-ar-v7-resistance-nejm-2014","kind":"paper","name":"AR-V7 and resistance to enzalutamide and abiraterone in prostate cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-antonarakis-ar-v7-resistance-nejm-2014/"},{"id":"paper-gravis-getug-afu-15-docetaxel-lancet-oncol-2013","kind":"paper","name":"GETUG-AFU 15: androgen deprivation alone or with docetaxel in non-castrate metastatic prostate cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-gravis-getug-afu-15-docetaxel-lancet-oncol-2013/"},{"id":"paper-huggins-hodges-castration-serum-phosphatases-prostate-1941","kind":"paper","name":"Huggins and Hodges 1941: the effect of castration, of oestrogen and of androgen injection on serum phosphatases in metastatic carcinoma of the prostate","route":"/key-papers/paper-huggins-hodges-castration-serum-phosphatases-prostate-1941/"},{"id":"paper-ibis-i-tamoxifen-lancet-oncol-2015","kind":"paper","name":"IBIS-I: five years of tamoxifen keeps preventing breast cancer for at least 20 years","route":"/key-papers/paper-ibis-i-tamoxifen-lancet-oncol-2015/"},{"id":"paper-visakorpi-androgen-receptor-amplification-nat-genet-1995","kind":"paper","name":"In vivo amplification of the androgen receptor gene and progression of human prostate cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-visakorpi-androgen-receptor-amplification-nat-genet-1995/"},{"id":"paper-chen-androgen-receptor-overexpression-antiandrogen-resistance-nat-med-2004","kind":"paper","name":"Molecular determinants of resistance to antiandrogen therapy","route":"/key-papers/paper-chen-androgen-receptor-overexpression-antiandrogen-resistance-nat-med-2004/"},{"id":"paper-attard-abiraterone-phase-1-cyp17-jco-2008","kind":"paper","name":"Phase 1 trial of abiraterone acetate confirms that castration-resistant prostate cancer commonly remains hormone driven","route":"/key-papers/paper-attard-abiraterone-phase-1-cyp17-jco-2008/"},{"id":"paper-beer-prevail-enzalutamide-nejm-2014","kind":"paper","name":"PREVAIL: enzalutamide in metastatic prostate cancer before chemotherapy","route":"/key-papers/paper-beer-prevail-enzalutamide-nejm-2014/"},{"id":"paper-teply-restore-bipolar-androgen-therapy-lancet-oncol-2018","kind":"paper","name":"RESTORE: bipolar androgen therapy after progression on enzalutamide in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-teply-restore-bipolar-androgen-therapy-lancet-oncol-2018/"},{"id":"paper-vale-stopcap-docetaxel-bisphosphonates-lancet-oncol-2016","kind":"paper","name":"STOpCaP: docetaxel or bisphosphonates added to standard of care in hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, a systematic review and meta-analysis","route":"/key-papers/paper-vale-stopcap-docetaxel-bisphosphonates-lancet-oncol-2016/"},{"id":"paper-hussain-swog-9346-intermittent-androgen-deprivation-nejm-2013","kind":"paper","name":"SWOG 9346: intermittent versus continuous androgen deprivation in metastatic prostate cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-hussain-swog-9346-intermittent-androgen-deprivation-nejm-2013/"},{"id":"paper-denmeade-transformer-bipolar-androgen-therapy-jco-2021","kind":"paper","name":"TRANSFORMER: bipolar androgen therapy versus enzalutamide in asymptomatic metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-denmeade-transformer-bipolar-androgen-therapy-jco-2021/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"hormonal-therapy-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Hormonal therapy roadmap: removing the ovaries → tamoxifen → oral degraders switched by a blood test","route":"/roadmaps/hormonal-therapy-roadmap/"},{"id":"prostate-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Prostate cancer roadmap: from Huggins and the discovery that a cancer can depend on a hormone, through the PSA epidemic and what it cost, the androgen receptor drugs, the DNA repair subset and PSMA, to a 2032 registry watch","route":"/roadmaps/prostate-roadmap/"}],"idea":[{"id":"idea-nl-glp1-adjuvant-hr-breast","kind":"idea","name":"GLP-1 receptor agonists as adjuvant weight-loss therapy in HR-positive breast cancer","route":"/ideas/idea-nl-glp1-adjuvant-hr-breast/"},{"id":"idea-prev-frail-elderly-primary-endocrine-breast","kind":"idea","name":"Hormone tablets instead of surgery for small breast cancers in the frail over-80s","route":"/ideas/idea-prev-frail-elderly-primary-endocrine-breast/"},{"id":"idea-prev-low-dose-tamoxifen-uptake","kind":"idea","name":"Low-dose tamoxifen for high-risk women, prescribed by pharmacists and nurses","route":"/ideas/idea-prev-low-dose-tamoxifen-uptake/"},{"id":"idea-cost-low-dose-abiraterone-food","kind":"idea","name":"Prescribe a quarter dose of abiraterone with breakfast","route":"/ideas/idea-cost-low-dose-abiraterone-food/"},{"id":"idea-prostate-randomise-the-sequence-not-only-the-drugs","kind":"idea","name":"Randomise the order of treatment, not only the drugs: a strategy platform for metastatic prostate cancer","route":"/ideas/idea-prostate-randomise-the-sequence-not-only-the-drugs/"},{"id":"idea-prostate-other-cause-mortality-as-a-reported-service-outcome","kind":"idea","name":"Report death from other causes as an outcome of the prostate cancer service, split by deprivation and ethnicity","route":"/ideas/idea-prostate-other-cause-mortality-as-a-reported-service-outcome/"},{"id":"idea-prostate-bipolar-androgen-therapy-phase-3-on-pfs2","kind":"idea","name":"Take high-dose testosterone to phase 3, with progression-free survival through the second line as the primary endpoint","route":"/ideas/idea-prostate-bipolar-androgen-therapy-phase-3-on-pfs2/"}],"term":[{"id":"adt","kind":"term","name":"Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)","route":"/terms/adt/"},{"id":"arpi","kind":"term","name":"Androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI)","route":"/terms/arpi/"},{"id":"aromatase-inhibitor","kind":"term","name":"Aromatase inhibitor","route":"/terms/aromatase-inhibitor/"},{"id":"bipolar-androgen-therapy","kind":"term","name":"Bipolar androgen therapy (BAT)","route":"/terms/bipolar-androgen-therapy/"},{"id":"alopecia-endocrine-therapy","kind":"term","name":"Endocrine-therapy-induced alopecia","route":"/terms/alopecia-endocrine-therapy/"},{"id":"hormone-receptor-status","kind":"term","name":"Hormone receptor status (ER / PR)","route":"/terms/hormone-receptor-status/"},{"id":"er-pr-scoring-breast","kind":"term","name":"How ER and PR are scored on a breast report (Allred score, H score, and why PR is not a UK core item)","route":"/terms/er-pr-scoring-breast/"},{"id":"intermittent-androgen-deprivation","kind":"term","name":"Intermittent androgen deprivation (IAD)","route":"/terms/intermittent-androgen-deprivation/"},{"id":"mcrpc-mhspc","kind":"term","name":"mCRPC and mHSPC (castration-resistant vs hormone-sensitive prostate cancer)","route":"/terms/mcrpc-mhspc/"},{"id":"metastasis-free-survival","kind":"term","name":"Metastasis-free survival (MFS)","route":"/terms/metastasis-free-survival/"},{"id":"neuroendocrine-differentiation","kind":"term","name":"Neuroendocrine differentiation in prostate cancer","route":"/terms/neuroendocrine-differentiation/"},{"id":"orchiectomy","kind":"term","name":"Orchiectomy","route":"/terms/orchiectomy/"},{"id":"other-cause-mortality","kind":"term","name":"Other-cause mortality","route":"/terms/other-cause-mortality/"},{"id":"radiographic-progression-free-survival","kind":"term","name":"Radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS)","route":"/terms/radiographic-progression-free-survival/"},{"id":"serd","kind":"term","name":"Selective oestrogen receptor degrader (SERD)","route":"/terms/serd/"}],"person":[{"id":"bernard-fisher","kind":"person","name":"Bernard Fisher","route":"/people/bernard-fisher/"}],"institution":[{"id":"beatson-glasgow","kind":"institution","name":"Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre / CRUK Scotland Institute","route":"/institutions/beatson-glasgow/"},{"id":"ccc-vienna","kind":"institution","name":"Comprehensive Cancer Center Vienna, Medical University of Vienna / AKH","route":"/institutions/ccc-vienna/"},{"id":"edinburgh-cancer-centre","kind":"institution","name":"Edinburgh Cancer Centre / CRUK Scotland Centre","route":"/institutions/edinburgh-cancer-centre/"},{"id":"uchicago-cancer","kind":"institution","name":"University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center","route":"/institutions/uchicago-cancer/"}]}}