When is hormone therapy recommended for metastatic breast cancer?

Metastatic breast cancer has spread beyond the breast or nearby lymph nodes. Testing of the cancer helps show whether oestrogen or progesterone signals may support its growth. When receptors are present, hormone therapy can be used alone or with another systemic treatment. The choice depends on previous therapy, how quickly the cancer is changing, symptoms, and general health.

Keep appointments for examinations and any scans or blood tests your team schedules. Take medicines consistently, and tell the team about new pain, fatigue, appetite changes, mood changes, or effects that make daily tasks difficult. Treatment can be revised if the cancer changes or side effects become hard to manage.

Contact your team promptly about increasing pain, a new cough or breathlessness, persistent vomiting, confusion, severe headache, or weakness. Seek emergency help for severe breathing difficulty, sudden loss of movement, a seizure, or uncontrolled bleeding. These symptoms may reflect complications that need rapid assessment.

Ask whether the metastatic tumour has hormone receptors, what treatment goal is being pursued, whether another medicine will be combined with hormone therapy, how response will be checked, and which symptoms should trigger a same-day call.