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Hormone therapy is the use of hormones or hormone-blocking drugs to treat cancer. Hormone therapy is mainly used to treat low-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas (ESS) and is rarely used for other types of uterine sarcomas.

Part of diagnosing uterine sarcoma includes tests that check for hormone receptors for estrogen and progesterone. If they are present on the cancer, hormone treatment might be a good option.

Aromatase inhibitors

After the ovaries are removed or aren't working after menopause, some estrogen is still made in fat tissue. This becomes the body's main source of estrogen. Drugs called aromatase inhibitors can stop this estrogen from being made. These include:

• Letrozole (Femara)
• Anastrozole (Arimidex)
• Exemestane (Aromasin)

These medicines are given as a tablet by mouth, once a day. They might be given with a drug called a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog (discussed below), in people who are premenopausal or cannot have their ovaries removed.

Possible side effects

Side effects can include any of the symptoms of menopause, including:

• Hot flashes
• Vaginal dryness
• Fatigue
• Lower sexual desire
• Joint/muscle pain
• Weak bones (osteopenia or osteoporosis)

Progestins

Progestins are drugs that act like the hormone progesterone. The progestins used most often to treat estrogen-positive and progesterone-positive uterine sarcomas are:

• Megestrol (Megace)
• Medroxyprogesterone (Provera)

These medicines are often given as pills by mouth. Medroxyprogesterone also comes in an injection form.

Possible side effects

Side effects can include:

• Changes in blood sugar, especially in people with diabetes
• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Weight gain from fluid retention and increased appetite
• Blood clots (rare)

Selective estrogen receptor degraders

These medications can block a hormone receptor-positive tumor from growing. An example of this kind of drug is fulvestrant (Faslodex).

It is given as a muscle injection every few weeks, depending on your treatment plan.

Possible side effects

Side effects might include:

• Hot flashes
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Joint and muscle pain

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists are drugs used to keep the ovaries from making estrogen. They are used to lower estrogen levels in people who have not gone through menopause. Examples include:

• Leuprorelin (Lupron)
• Goserelin (Zoladex)
• Histrelin (Supprelin)
• Triptorelin (Trelstar)

These drugs are given as a shot into a muscle every 1 to 3 months.

Side effects

Side effects can include any of the symptoms of menopause, including:

• Hot flashes
• Vaginal dryness
• Fatigue
• Lower sexual desire
• Joint/muscle pain
• Weak bones (osteopenia or osteoporosis)