hormoneinsensitive

Hormoneinsensitive is an adjective used in medicine to describe diseases, particularly cancers, that do not respond to therapies that target hormone signaling or to hormones themselves. In oncology, the term often contrasts with hormone-sensitive disease, where tumors rely on hormonal pathways for growth and respond to endocrine therapies or hormone deprivation. Hormoneinsensitive status can be intrinsic or acquired, meaning tumors are nonresponsive from the outset or become nonresponsive after initial treatment.

In practice, hormoneinsensitive cancers include certain cases of prostate cancer and breast cancer. Prostate cancer may be described as hormoneinsensitive when tumors continue to grow despite castrate levels of testosterone or after progression on antiandrogen therapy, a state commonly labeled castration-resistant prostate cancer. In breast cancer, tumors that do not depend on estrogen signaling or do not respond to endocrine therapies are considered hormoneinsensitive, with subtypes such as triple-negative breast cancer illustrating limited or absent hormonal targets.

Mechanisms underlying hormoneinsensitivity are varied and include changes in hormone receptor activity, activation of alternative growth pathways, intratumoral hormone synthesis, receptor mutations, and clonal evolution. These changes can reduce the effectiveness of hormonal therapies and necessitate a shift to non-hormonal systemic treatments.

Clinical implications center on treatment planning and prognosis. Identifying hormoneinsensitivity guides the choice of therapies away from endocrine approaches toward chemotherapy, targeted agents, radiopharmaceuticals, or other non-hormonal modalities, with strategies tailored to the cancer type, receptor status, and patient factors.