Chemotherapy in Khon Kaen

[denboy]

My Thai wife unfortunately became very ill with bile duct cancer of the liver. The cancer tumour was quite small and operable. Major surgery was carried out at the Bangkok/Pattaya añð she is now recoverung quite well.

Bangkok//Pattaya hospital is very expensive but I thought well worth it to have such major surgery. The follow up is chemotherapy and radiology which would have to be done in Bangkok and that of course is very expensive.also. As funds are getting low we have decided to return to the Khon Kaen area and opt for treatment at the government university hospital.

I have heard several stories of treatment both good and bad about chemotherapy treatment at the university hospital.

if any member has any relative experience regarding Chemotherapy in Khon Kaen I would be be most obliged for your input.

Cheers

Deñboy

[Sheryl]

KKU hospital is a major regional facility and teaching hospital with a good standard of care.

A numbe rof Tv members and their families have been treated there, with good feedback.

If your wife is a Thai national and listed in a tabian ban in Khon Kaen, she can get this treatment free under the government health scheme. She needs first to get a lteter of referral from the hospital which covers the location where she is listed in a tabian ban, should be easy enough to get the referral once she shows her medical records as no other govt hospital in that area can do this.

The free care would be through the public channel, which does mean long waits at each visit and limited time with the doctors - enough to get the physical care needed, but usually not enough to provide much opportunity to ask questions/discuss.

An alternative would be to use their after hours clinic, where she can make an appointment directly with a senior oncologist and have more time with him/her. Can also do a mix of both, i.e. go through the public channel for treatment but whenever she feels the need for some more time to talk to the head doctor, make an appointment through the after hours clinic.

I should warn that, even with a small tumor that was successfully removed, the 5 year survival rate is only about 25-50% for this type of cancer as it often recurs. I mention this because in my experience Thai doctors are not very frank on such matters. Obviously, hope for the best, but prepare yourself for the possibility of a poor outcome, and if you have not already, try to sound your wife out in terms of her wishes should things take a turn for the worse. better ti have that discussion before she starts in on chemo and radiation as these will be hard to go through so that would not be a good time for such a talk.

[LM52LYN]

Have you considered chonburi cancer centre I ang sila? I like your wife had my operation in bph then started my chemo there cost for one treatment was 58,000 bht at ccc the same treatment was 5,000 that was later reduced to 2,000 radiotherapy costs me 600 bht for one area but as your wife is thai the cost per treatment will be probably be 30bht the waiting times are very reasonable and the doctors and staff are friendly and very professional I would highly recommend checking it out