Some cancers ‘feed’ on male or female hormones to grow. Examples would be some types of breast cancer (hormone receptor-positive breast cancers) and the majority of prostate cancers.

Hormone therapy (Endocrine therapy) describes the use of drugs (given in the form of oral tablets, subcutaneous injections or intramuscular injections) to deprive the cancer cells of the specific hormones that feed them. The cancerous tumour should gradually shrink over time.