What types of cancer are hormone-driven?

From the Guidelines

Hormone-driven cancers include breast, prostate, ovarian, endometrial, and thyroid cancers, which have cells with hormone receptors that can stimulate cancer growth and progression when activated by specific hormones. These cancers can be driven by various hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone in breast cancer, testosterone and other androgens in prostate cancer, and estrogen in endometrial cancer.

• Breast cancer is often driven by estrogen and progesterone, with approximately 70% of cases being hormone receptor-positive, as noted in the study by 1.
• Prostate cancer typically depends on testosterone and other androgens for growth.
• Endometrial cancer is frequently estrogen-dependent, while ovarian cancer can be influenced by estrogen and other hormones.
• Thyroid cancer may be stimulated by thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Treatment for hormone-driven cancers often includes hormone therapy to block hormone production or prevent hormones from binding to cancer cell receptors.
• Examples include tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors for breast cancer, as discussed in the guidelines by 1 and 1, and androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. Understanding the hormone dependency of these cancers has led to effective targeted treatments that can slow cancer growth while often having fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy, as highlighted in the studies by 1, 1, and 1.

From the FDA Drug Label

Administration of leuprolide acetate has resulted in inhibition of the growth of certain hormone dependent tumors (prostatic tumors in Noble and Dunning male rats and DMBA-induced mammary tumors in female rats) Tamoxifen decreased the incidence of small estrogen receptor positive tumors, but did not alter the incidence of estrogen receptor negative tumors or larger tumors

The cancers that are hormone-driven are:

• Prostatic tumors: These tumors are dependent on hormones such as testosterone for their growth.
• Estrogen receptor positive breast tumors: These tumors have receptors for estrogen and their growth is driven by this hormone.
• Mammary tumors: Specifically, DMBA-induced mammary tumors in female rats, which are dependent on hormones for their growth.

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From the Research

Hormone-Driven Cancers

Hormone-driven cancers are types of cancer that are influenced by hormones in the body. These cancers are often referred to as hormone-sensitive or hormone-dependent cancers.

• Breast cancer: This type of cancer is driven by hormones such as estrogen and progesterone 4, 5, 6, 7.
• Prostate cancer: This type of cancer is driven by hormones such as androgen 4, 8, 7.
• Ovarian cancer: This type of cancer is driven by hormones such as estrogen 4, 8, 7.
• Endometrial cancer: This type of cancer is driven by hormones such as estrogen and progesterone 4, 5, 8, 7.

Biological Pathways

The biological pathways involved in hormone-driven cancers are complex and involve the interaction of hormones with their respective receptors.

• Estrogen receptors play a major role in breast and endometrial cancers 4, 5, 7.
• Androgen receptors play a major role in prostate cancer 4, 8.
• Progesterone receptors also play a role in breast and endometrial cancers 4, 7.

Treatment Options

Treatment options for hormone-driven cancers often involve targeting the hormones or their receptors.

• Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) and selective progesterone receptor modulators (SPRMs) are used to treat breast and endometrial cancers 4.
• Androgen deprivation therapies are used to treat prostate cancer 4.
• Aromatase inhibitors are used to treat breast cancer in postmenopausal women 6.