Can You Recommend An Oncologist?

[JuniorExPat]

A friend is visiting from a neighbouring country and is seeking medical advice regarding a lump in her breast.

Who would you recommend (from experience please) she visit?

My only (third party) experience is with skin cancer checks by the dermatologist at Chiang Mai Ram so I am asking around on my friend's behalf. If you do have a recommendation she would be really grateful for any and all contact details.

Many thanks in advance,

JxP

[relaxed]

if she has already been diagnosed that the lump is cancer then seek out an oncologist. If not she should get biopsy first at hospital for diagnosis. The majority of lumps are non-malignant. Worst case scenario if she has cancer I would advice to go to one of the larger hospitals that has many different options and experience for the best outcome. I live in Bangkok so I would go Bumrungrad. I wish the best for your friend. I already went through this over the years with my late wife.

[Phuket Stan]

The cancer specialist hospital of the BKK Hospital group are very very good....they have some equipment there that no other hospital has in SE Asia.....I have had 3 friends who have been treated there with fantastic results...like Bumungrad not cheap but !!!!

[JuniorExPat]

Thanks for the replies and thanks for your good wishes, relaxed.

We are looking for recommendations for diagnosis and whatever follow up treatment that may prove necessary in Chiang Mai.

JxP

[realthaideal]

Surprised not to see our good friends Orang 37 and his bag of bones chime in yet. His flesh incarnation had a run-in with cancer a few years back and received difficult, but life-saving care here. I would pm him for contacts if he doesn't show up to offer his advice. Btw... I know he has on another thread somewhere before, just not sure which one.

[NancyL]

I'd go from Chiang Mai to Bumrungrad in BKK for a second opinion. That's what we did when Hubby had a little scare with his PSA readings. Yes, I know that Bumrungrad is more expensive, but travel to BKK is fairly cheap and it's one of the best hospitals in the world. You don't want to mess around to save a few baht to treat something that is life threatening. Bumrungrad could confirm a diagnosis and outline a course of treatment that you could either do there or pursue back at CM Ram. I've heard too many horror stories about how CM Ram gives good quality care but seems to be lacking in diagnosis skills.

[JuniorExPat]

Thanks RTD and Nancy.

RTD, my friend is keeping an eye on this thread and I will certainly contact Orang should she decide that more info is needed.

Nancy, thanks for the advice, noted and appreciated.

JxP

[cardinalblue]

My advice from personal experience, working in Thai hospitals and being a health care mgt professional back home is seek not the best hospital but the best practioner/specialist for the issue at question.

BHI gets a lot of print but diagnostic skills are lacking everywhere in LOS due to the poor educational/training within Thailand. See if you can find your specialist who has had advanced training from a western country. That could range from a single course, to an internship to a residency. Their skill level should be higher than someone educated/trained only in Thailand...

While I have received adequate treatment for simple stuff at BHI, I also won't dismiss the time they misdiagnose a viral eye infection as a bacteria one and recommended I go on life-long high blood pressure medications b/c of two high readings...Wrong on both accounts....

I would think you should be able to find a good specialist here in CM w/o the need to commute to bkk. Make your selection via recommendations, his/her training and most of all their ability to communicate and explain the range of options available. Highly recommend obtaining second opinions on complicated or serious medical concerns..

CB

[JuniorExPat]

The cancer specialist hospital of the BKK Hospital group are very very good....they have some equipment there that no other hospital has in SE Asia.....I have had 3 friends who have been treated there with fantastic results...like Bumungrad not cheap but !!!!

Hi Phuket Stan,

My friend has asked me to find out if you have any specific contact details or any other additional information about the BKK Hospital group.

Anything you can pass on would be great, many thanks.

JxP

[JuniorExPat]

My advice from personal experience, working in Thai hospitals and being a health care mgt professional back home is seek not the best hospital but the best practioner/specialist for the issue at question.

BHI gets a lot of print but diagnostic skills are lacking everywhere in LOS due to the poor educational/training within Thailand. See if you can find your specialist who has had advanced training from a western country. That could range from a single course, to an internship to a residency. Their skill level should be higher than someone educated/trained only in Thailand...

While I have received adequate treatment for simple stuff at BHI, I also won't dismiss the time they misdiagnose a viral eye infection as a bacteria one and recommended I go on life-long high blood pressure medications b/c of two high readings...Wrong on both accounts....

I would think you should be able to find a good specialist here in CM w/o the need to commute to bkk. Make your selection via recommendations, his/her training and most of all their ability to communicate and explain the range of options available. Highly recommend obtaining second opinions on complicated or serious medical concerns..

CB

Thank you cardinalblue.

With your comments and RTD's note in mind I will send a message to Orang37.

JxP

[JuniorExPat]

> > > My friend has asked me to thank everyone here for taking the time to respond. < < <

Ram has seconded the diagnosis of a malignancy but this is before the results of the biopsy. She is obviously concerned as the recommendation is to go ahead immediately with surgery and during the course of the surgery decide if the malignancy is really confirmed and, if so, remove further tissue and then enter a course of treatment.

The diagnosis without the biopsy results strikes me as odd but as I know nothing about this the best I can do is ask around on her behalf for advice.

JxP

[bumrungrad]

Hello JuniorExPat,

As cardinalblue mentions, it is a lot about the doctor. If there is anything I can do to support your friend - doctor recommendations or any other information, please let me know - PM is probably best.

Whichever hospital your friend goes with, we wish her the best of luck.

Best regards,

Scott @ Bumrungrad.

[orang37]

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun JuniorExPat,

As our esteemed multi-talented friend, Khun RealThaiDeal noted, this human body did, indeed, have an experience here in Chiang Mai with cancer (of the lower tongue), and had (successfull: no recurrence after around 40 months) treatment here in Chiang Mai at the Radiation Clinic associated with Maharaj Hospital on Thanon Suthep (near Wat Suan Dok, and sometimes referred to as "Suan Dok" hospital). Services for non-Thais there are rendered through the "Sriphat" administrative entity.

Our human side also once worked for the American Cancer Society as a field researcher carrying out taped interviews all over northern California with families where more than one person in the family had cancer (families of all different socio-economic, ethnic, and "life-style" groups). Several of these families were families where the women over more than one generation had breast cancer onset in their late thirties to early forties.

Interestingly, we found out that Dr. Loavicharn, head of the Oncology Radiation treatment program at Maharaj (and Professor in the Medical School), was considered to be the best radiation oncologist in Thailand via a friend in America who knows the very famous Dr. Luther Brady (inventor of the "laser knife," and one of the authors of the most "standard" texts in the field). Said friend put us in touch with a retired Thai oncologist in Bangkok who had worked many years with Dr. Brady, and she unhesitatingly recommended Dr. Loavicharn, who is a graduate of U.S. medical schools, and has Board Certification from the U.S.

All this doesn't mean we know "squat" about breast-cancer.

What we do know is that there is an incredible spectrum of cancers, and that treatment modalities vary greatly.

As others on this thread have commented, the "usual norm" would be to have a biopsy before surgery, but we don't have the medical knowledge to know if, in some cases, a pre-surgical biopsy might be inappropriate.

All we can tell you is that we are very happy with the quality of treatment and care received here in Chiang Mai at Maharaj/Sriphat, and via Dr. Loavicharn. The "number two" oncologist in the radiation clinic, during the time we were treated, was a really wonderful Thai woman Doctor who, we hear, has now left Maharaj (we're not sure where she went).

Will give a farang friend who works at the medical school associated with Maharaj and Chiang Mai University a call (he's a cancer survivor, and works with many of the professors helping them translate their research papers), and ask him if he has any thoughts about breast cancer treatment at Maharaj, and let you know by PM, if there's any info from that source.

Seems you are already doing the "best thing," which is to try and get a second opinion, and "network" here to try and find the best place to get a second opinion. Will also see if I can find the phone number for the retired Thai oncologist who worked for Dr. Brady to send to you. And will PM you with an on-line resource that may be useful later today.

take care, ~o:37;

[JuniorExPat]

Dear orang37,

Thank you very much for taking the time to post here and for sending further information by PMs. You and you are exceptional members (an exceptional member?) of this forum, I am very grateful to you for enabling me to offer my friend so much useful advice and contact information.

Thank you and very best wishes to you and you,

JxP