What is the difference between chemotherapy and hormonal therapy?
Chemotherapy refers to a group of anti-cancer medications that work by attacking the cell machinery that allows cells to divide, grow, and spread. Most chemotherapy medications, though not all, are given intravenously (in the vein). Chemotherapy is administered in cycles (over a certain number of weeks), and not every day. Hormonal therapies require the presence of specific receptors (binding sites) in the cancer cell for estrogen and/or progesterone in order for the treatment to work. Most hormonal therapies are medications taken daily in pill form. A breast cancer that has neither estrogen or progesterone receptors will not respond to hormonal therapy.
