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Hormone-Refractory Tumors

Meaning

Hormone-refractory tumors, commonly designated as castration-resistant in the context of prostate cancer, are malignant neoplasms that have acquired a biological unresponsiveness to standard endocrine-based therapies designed to suppress or inhibit hormone signaling. These aggressive tumors initially depend on hormones for their proliferation, but through genetic mutation or adaptive molecular changes, they gain the ability to grow independently of or despite the therapeutic suppression of the driving hormone. This acquired resistance represents a profound clinical challenge, invariably necessitating the pivot to alternative, often more cytotoxic, treatment modalities.