Despite the growing number of cancer cases in Thailand, the survival rate is expected to rise with the introduction of new treatments, says an oncologist.
A recent study sought to determine the exact increase rate of cancer cases, but the task proved difficult since each hospital and cancer institute keeps their own data confidential, said Virote Sriuranpon, president of the Thai Society of Clinical Oncology (TSCO).
However, it is possible the number is increasing by as much as 100,000 cases a year, he said.
The climbing number could be attributed to a growing ageing population, unhealthy lifestyles and socioeconomic changes.
Cancer has been a leading cause of death in Thailand for decades, killing tens of thousands of people every year.
According to the Ministry of Public Health, the number of cancer deaths shot up from 53,434 in 2007 to 70,075 in 2014.
For women, breast cancer is the biggest life claimer, cervical cancer is second and lung cancer third. Men are most affected by liver cancer, followed by lung and colorectal cancer.
Dr Virote says that death rates are set to decrease over the next decade due to progress in diagnosis and treatment.
Cancer survivors are living longer nowadays, he says. For example, people diagnosed with advanced lung cancer now tend to live up to three years, compared to the average of less than a year in the early 1990s.
Patients with advanced cancer in the past had limited treatment options. Oncologists used to rely solely on chemotherapy, while today there are a wide variety of tools. These include targeted therapies involving molecular changes in cancer cells and immunotherapy, designed to boost the body's natural defences in fighting cancer. Surgery, radiotherapy and cancer drugs have also improved over the last decade.
The number of parents allowing their young children to be vaccinated against cervical and liver cancer is also rising, Dr Virote added. "As more people get vaccinated, I think new cases of liver cancer will drop in the next 20 years, while new cases of cervical cancer will follow a similar path in the next 30 years."
For the time being, however, he stated that the economic burden of cancer is rising steadily. He urged healthcare policymakers to try harder to enact more prevention campaigns in tackling cancer risk factors, including alcohol and tobacco consumption. Otherwise, Thailand could face a healthcare crisis.
The TSCO will attend the European Society for Medical Oncology Asia Congress in Singapore from Dec 16-19. The congress is led by an international scientific committee and promotes the sharing of expertise between regional and international experts in oncology. The programme will showcase the latest state-of-the art science in fighting cancer.
