News Health & Medicine Using estrogen to combat persistent breast cancer In some patients, hormone typically seen as troublemaker can induce cancer cells to self-destruct By Nathan Seppa August 18, 2009 at 5:01 pm - More than 2 years ago Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to print (Opens in new window) Print In some breast cancer patients who have tried everything but chemotherapy, estrogen can stall tumor growth, a new study finds. The idea is counterintuitive since estrogen acts as a growth stimulant in most breast cancers.