Hormone Therapy Side Effects: Managing Hot Flashes & More

Oncologist Ana Lluch, one of the most respected figures in breast cancer research and treatment in Spain, has spent almost half a century accompanying women who They are going through one of the most difficult moments of their lives. His career is enormous, but his way of communicating remains close, pedagogical and full of hope. “Knowledge is what makes you lose fear,” he repeats to his patients.

During his participation in the podcast Your friends, hormones with Isabel Viña, the specialist recalled how much the approach to the disease has changed since she began practicing. If forty years ago the healing It was around 60%, today it exceeds 80%, a leap that allows you to face a diagnosis with a completely different perspective. “Being able to tell a woman that she has her whole life ahead of her is something huge,” she said.

Lluch explained that the order of treatments—whether surgery, chemotherapy or immunotherapy comes first—depends on the specific biology of the tumor and what best increases the chances of cure. It is no longer decided by size or appearancebut by how the cells behave. That is why some patients receive medication before surgery: it allows the injury to be reduced, the response measured and the strategy reinforced to achieve better results.

That information, he adds, also gives security. “Each cycle allows us to see if the treatment is working and that gives a very powerful emotional reinforcement,” he noted. Communication is, for her, part of the treatment: Making eye contact, explaining each step and offering a clear roadmap helps to reduce fear and uncertainty.

Hormone therapy, effective but with effects that must be anticipated

After the first phases of treatment comes one of the longest chapters: hormone therapy, which can last several years. The choice of drug depends above all on the patient’s menopausal status and the risk that estrogens favor the reappearance of tumor cells.

But this hormonal blockage has consequences. Hot flashes, mood swings and the feeling of sudden menopause are very common, and Lluch insists on explaining it bluntly: “Hormonal treatments are not holy water”. The key, she says, is to anticipate what is going to happen and accompany the woman throughout the process.

Hope is on the way: specific treatments are already used in the United States to combat hot flashes without hormonestargeting proteins related to temperature regulation. In Spain they are not yet approved, although hospitals like yours are testing them in clinical trials. “When we have it available, I will come and tell you about it,” he promised.

Lluch speaks with the same clarity about the emotional part. Hair loss, fear for children, uncertainty and physical changes have a profound impact. That’s why she encourages her patients to maintain routines, groom themselves, stay active whenever they can, and ask for help when they need it. Maintaining everyday life, explains, improves mood and quality of life during the process.

The specialist also observes a difficult phenomenon: couple breakups during diagnosis and treatment. Many women, she says, need emotional support to go through this stage, as much as they need the drugs they receive.

The oncologist firmly defends the importance of screening. In the Valencian Community, for example, mammograms start at age 45 and they are repeated every two years until age 70. Detecting small lesions can completely change the prognosis.

Oncologist Ana Lluch, one of the most respected figures in breast cancer research and treatment in Spain, has spent almost half a century accompanying women who They are going through one of the most difficult moments of their lives. His career is enormous, but his way of communicating remains close, pedagogical and full of hope. “Knowledge is what makes you lose fear,” he repeats to his patients.