Persistent breast pain should be evaluated, but it is not usually a primary sign of breast cancer. The factors of breast cancer are our lifestyle, environment and hormones. When the abnormal cells grow out of control in the breast and form a tumor, it can cause breast cancer. A tumor is made when unwanted new cells grow and old cells don’t die, so extra cells form a tumor. Both women and men can develop breast cancer. Thailand is one of the best countries for breast cancer treatment, with an affordable cost.
Thailand is advanced in medical technology and oncology. They provide the combination of expertise, advanced treatment and personalised care. Which make thailand the preferred destination for people who are seeking a high quantity at an affordable cost of breast cancer treatment. They perform a lot of treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and so many which you will know in this blog.
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is the most common cancer around the world especially in women. It happens when the cells of the breast start to grow abnormally. These cells spread faster than healthy cells and continue to form a lump or mass throughout the other part of the body. Breast cancer cells start to form in the milk producing ducts, in the glandular tissue called lobules or in other cells or tissues. The chances of breast cancer have increased at the age of 50 or older but it can also occur in younger women who are less than 50.
According to the researchers, factors like hormonal, lifestyle and environment have increased the risk of breast cancer. Some women face breast cancer even though there is no risk of breast cancer and some do not face even after they have symptoms of cancer. So, it all depends on the interaction of genetic and environmental factors.
The one who does the imaging of the report like MRI, ultrasound, etc, is called the radiologist. Who examines the breast tissues, cells, tumors, etc, is known as a pathologist. After examination, an oncologist doing prepration for treating the cancer.
Type of Breast Cancer
Some of the most common types include:
- Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: This cancer starts from the milk ducts and spreads to the breast tissue which is nearby.
- Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: It starts from the milk producing glands and spreads to the breast tissue which is near the breast.
- Lobular Carcinoma In Situ: It is a non invasive and pre cancerous condition that is limited to the milk producing glands of the breast. Tumours that are classified as LCIS are made up of the same cells. All these small cells are the same and stay in the lobules. Since it does not leave the breast lobules, the risk of developing cancer increases. Technically, it is not considered a cancer nor invasive.
- Ductal Carcinoma In Situ: It is also known as Stage 0 cancer. This cancer stays inside the milk ducts where it started and doesn’t spread out into the rest of the breast. This is described as either a non-invasive or pre-invasive breast condition.
Stages of Breast Cancer
The stages of breast cancer depend on many things like breast cancer type, tumor size and where it is located. There are 5 stages of breast cancer:
- 0 Stage: In this stage, the disease doesn’t spread from the breast ducts to other parts of the breast.
- 1st Stage: In some breast tissues, there are cancerous cells.
- 2nd Stage: The cancerous cells develop into a tumor. The tumor can be smaller than 2 cm which can spread to the underarm lymph nodes. It can be larger than 5 cm which can’t spread to the underarm lymph nodes.
- 3rd Stage: This cancer has spread to the tissue and lymph nodes. It is referred to as the advanced breast cancer.
- 4th Stage: In this stage, the cancer has spread from the breast to the bones, liver, lungs, or brain.
Types of Treatments for Breast Cancer
Breast cancer treatment is start from the surgery so that the cancer can be removed, and after the surgery, it can be treated with radiation, chemotherapy and hormone therapy. Some people take chemotherapy or hormonal therapy before the surgery which helps to shrink the cancer and it makes it easier. But it depends on your condition or the type of breast cancer. So, let’s find out the surgery and therapy to treat breast cancer:
Surgery
There are a lot of surgeries to treat breast cancer:
Breast Cancer Removal
In this breast lumpectomy surgery remove the breast cancer and some healthy tissue which is sounding to them. But the rest of the tissues are not removed. The other names of this surgery are breast conserving surgery and wide local excision. Those who had a lumpectomy they do radiation therapy to improve their health. It helps to remove small cancers and requires chemotherapy before the surgery to shrink the cancer.
Removing all of the Breast Cancer
The mastectomy surgery removes all breast tissue from the breast. The most common procedure is a total mastectomy which is also known as a simple mastectomy. This surgery removes all the breast like the lobules, ducts, fatty tissue, areola and nipple. Mastectomy surgery is used to remove large cancer which are spread in multiple areas in just one breast. You should do this surgery if you don’t want to or you can’t do radiation therapy after the surgery.
A Few Lymph Nodes Removed
They do an operation of sentinel node biopsy to take out a small amount of lymph nodes for testing. When the cancer spreads at the start, it spreads to the lymph nodes. So to see that the surgeon removes some of the lymph nodes that are near the cancer. If they don’t find any cancer in those particular nodes then the chances of finding or having the cancer are small.
Removing Several Lymph Nodes
In this they perform an operation of axillary lymph node dissection to remove so many lymph nodes from the armpit. This operation will take place if the imaging test shows that the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. This surgery will also happen if the cancer is found in a sentinel node biopsy.
Removing both Breasts
This procedure is known as contralateral prophylactic mastectomy, in which people who have had one breast cancer choose to remove the other breast. If you have a high risk of getting cancer in the other breast and it happens when your family has also suffered from cancer. Most of the people don’t have a risk or never get cancer in the other breast if they have it in one breast.
Therapy
There are a lot of therapy which helps to treat breast cancer
Radiation Therapy
This therapy treats cancer patients who have powerful energy which comes from X-rays, protons or other sources. Radiation therapy for breast cancer treatment is on of the best options. In breast cancer the radiation is often external beam radiation, in this patient lies on a table and a machine moves around the patient. This machine radiates on the patient’s body and radiation can be placed inside the body, it is called brachytherapy. This therapy is used after the surgery and can kill any cancer cells which left after the surgery.
Chemotherapy
With the strong medicines, chemotherapy can treat the cancer. There are so many medicines for chemotherapy and it is given by vein or pills. It is used after the surgery and can kill cancer cells. It can be given before the surgery to shrink the breast cancer because after that it is easy to remove. If there is no sign of cancer after the chemotherapy, then maybe the surgery to remove the lymph nodes will not be needed. If cancer spreads to other parts of the body then chemotherapy helps to manage it.
Hormone Therapy
The medicines that block some hormones in the body are called hormone therapy. This treatment is sensitive to the hormones estrogen and progesterone. These cancers are known as estrogen receptor positive and progesterone receptor positive. Hormone therapy is done after the surgery and other treatments. It also reduces the chance of the cancer coming back.
Targeted Therapy
The use of targeted therapy medicines is that they attack the chemical in the cancer cells. This targeted treatment blocks the chemicals and can cause the cancer cells to die. The common protein receptor for targeting breast cancer is HER2. It helps to cancer cells to grow and survive. This therapy attacks the cells which make the extra HER2 and doesn’t hurt healthy cells.
Immunotherapy
The medicines which helps the immune system of the body to kill the cancer cells are known as immunotherapy. The immune system fights diseases by attacking the germs and those cells which are harmful to the body. Cancer cells grow by hiding from the immune system, so immunotherapy helps the immune system cells to find the cancer cells and kill them.
Palliative Care
When you feel that you have a serious illness then palliative care helps you to feel better. It helps to relieve the pain and other symptoms of cancer. A full team of healthcare providers provides the palliative care in which doctors, nurses and other professionals are included. The specialist of palliative works with the patients, their families and helps the patients to feel better. You can take palliative care during the cancer treatment like surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Recovery after Breast Cancer Surgery
After the surgery, you have to keep some things in mind to recover from breast cancer treatment:
- Attend all the appointments to check your health.
- Tell the doctor if there are any changes in the breast or size.
- You have to treat yourself if you have any side effects like lymphedema, neuropathy or hormonal changes.
- Do the activities that reduce your stress like medication or hobbies.
- If you are feeling any new symptoms then don’t ignore them and see a doctor.
- Take each and every medicines which doctor prescribes to you and don’t stop it without talking to your doctor.
- You should avoid smoking, alcohol consumption and an unhealthy diet.
- If you had radiation therapy, then you should take proper care of your skin because it can be damaged.
Cost of Breast Cancer Treatment in Thailand
The breast cancer treatment cost in Thailand depends on many things. Like which type of treatment is taking place, hospital stay, the location of the hospital, experienced surgeons and many things. The cost of treatment in Thailand ranges from THB 300,000 to 500,000 or maybe more than that.
Breakdown of the Cost of Breast Cancer Treatment
The cost of breast cancer treatment is broken down according to the surgery and therapy, so here we will know the cost.
| Factor | Approx cost in THB | Approx cost in USD |
| Consultation | 3,500 to 7,000 | 100 to 250 |
| Medication | 110,000 to 240,000 | 3,500 to 7,400 |
| Diagnosis | 7,000 to 20,500 | 250 to 650 |
| Lumpectomy surgery | 90,000 to 150,000 | 3,000 to 4500 |
| Mastectomy surgery | 350,000 to 550,000 | 10,000 to 17,000 |
| Sentinel node biopsy | 40,000 to 90,000 | 1,200 to 2,800 |
| Axillary lymph node | 250,000 to 350,000 | 7,500 to 10,500 |
| Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy | 280,000 to 320,000 | 8,500 to 10,000 |
| Radiation Therapy | 150,000 to 250,000 | 4,500 to 7,500 |
| Chemotherapy | 100,000 to 250,000 | 3,050 to 7,500 |
| Hormone Therapy | 50,000 to 140,000 | 1,500 to 4,300 |
| Targeted Therapy | 240,000 to 450,000 | 7,400 to 14,000 |
| Immunotherapy | 500,000 to 900,000 | 15,000 to 28,000 |
| Palliative Care | 12,000 to 18,000 | 400 to 550 |
Note: This cost is just an estimate, the actual cost may change due to surgery types, facilities, technologies, and other factors.
Factors Affecting Breast Cancer Treatment Cost in Thailand
There are so many factors that can affect breast cancer treatment
- The type of treatment is like a mastectomy. Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy.
- The location of the hospital depends on the cost such as large cities or urban areas have more cost as compared to the countryside.
- Experienced surgeons who are international experts may charge more fees than the normal surgeons.
- Test which conduct before the treatment, such as imaging studies, blood tests, endoscopic examinations and heart, lung or kidney function tests.
- After the surgery, the hospitalisation, physiotherapy, anesthesia, pain medication and regular checkup are included in the cost.
- If the surgery is complicated and you stay in the hospital for more days then it can increase the hospital cost.
Comparison of Costs in Different Countries
There are so many countries which provide breast cancer treatment. So let’s see the cost of the countries.
| Countries | Approx cost according to their local currency | Approx cost according to the USD |
| India | 2,50,000 to 20,00,000 INR | 1,100 to 24,400 |
| Kenya | 2,00,000 to 1,200,000 KES | 1,500 to 8,000 |
| South Africa | 155,000 to 300,000 ZAR | 9,500 to 20,000 |
| Kuwait | 2,500 to 6,000 KWD | 6,500 – 19,500 |
| Nigeria | 3,000,000 to 15,000,000 NGN | 2,000 to 9,500 |
Note: The costs mentioned are approximate and may vary depending on the type of surgery, hospital facilities, technology used, and the patient’s medical condition.
Top Hospitals for Breast Cancer Treatment in Thailand
There are a lot of hospitals for breast cancer treatment in Thailand but here we will tell you the top 3 hospitals which are in Bangkok.
- Bumrungrad International Hospital: It is a private hospital which made in 1980. This hospital is specialised in allergy, breast care, orthopedics, fertility care, etc. They provide all types of services like traveling for international patients, their living place and also provide the best medical service.
- Phyathai 2 International Hospital: This hospital was established in 1987. Phyathai 2 International Hospital provides the best medical care like organ transplantation, breast care, dermatology, heart, knee arthroplasty surgery, etc. This hospital provides facilities like rehabilitation, religious, a translator, air ambulance, etc.
- Thainakarin Hospital: It was established in 1993. They provide medical centres like gynecology, bone and joint, breast care, brain and many more centres. This hospital has the best medical technology for diagnosis and treatment. They provide facilities such as X-ray, ultrasound, mammogram, CT scan, MRI, etc.
Success Rates of Breast Cancer in Thailand
The success rate of breast cancer in Thailand is 60 to 75%, but it all depends on the stage of cancer. For example, stage 1 has the highest success rate but stage 4 has the lowest success rate. The success rate of all the stages are as: 1st stage has an 85 to 90%, the 2nd stage has 80%, the 3rd stage has a 50 to 65% and the 4th stage has a 20 to 30%.
Why Choose Thailand for Breast Cancer Treatment?
There are a lot of things that are good to have a breast cancer treatment in Thailand, such as:
- Thailand provides the full suite of services so that your medical journey goes smoothly, stress free, and efficient.
- The hospitals provide translator for international patients so that it can be easy for them to communicate, understand the medical advice and personalised care.
- They take the proper care for your visa application, travel arrangement and renting a place for living for the patients and their families. So that they can focus on the treatment and recovery without any stress.
- Many hospitals accept international health insurance so that international patients can get an affordable cost.
- Hospitals of Thailand provide private rooms for the patients with all the entertainment facilities like television, Wi-Fi and phone services.
- Hospitals also provide counseling for the patients to support them emotionally, dietary support for their health and recovery during the treatment.
- They provide the physical therapy and lymphedema to manage, recover and improve the quality of life.
How to Prepare for Breast Cancer Treatment in Thailand?
You have to tell your doctor about the medications, allergies and your medical condition. You have to tell your surgeon which medicines you are taking so that they can do the procedure according to that only. It may also advise you to take a proper diet to improve your health. You should eat food which is easy to digest, drink around 2 liters of water every day and not eat much spicy food. Visit the dentist before taking the medication of chemotherapy to check for tooth decay and gum inflammation. Eat the food 2 to 3 hours before the start of chemotherapy and urinate beforehand.
Conclusion
At the end of this content, we hope that you don’t have any queries related to breast cancer. The breast cancer treatment in Thailand is the best decision because of its affordable cost, best hospitals and high success rate. In this blog, you get to know the cost of breast cancer treatment in Thailand and other countries. In addition, you will also learn about the type of treatments like surgeries, therapies and the recovery from the breast cancer treatment.
Note: This blog is just for informational purposes only. The cost which is mentioned above is just an idea. Before choosing a treatment option for breast cancer, you should consult with a health expert.
