Being diagnosed with cancer takes a toll on your physical and mental health, and the cost of cancer treatment takes another step forward to depression. The next thing you need to do is to get the best treatment as far as your budget will allow.
Thailand has long been the core destination of medical tourism in the world for both medical and cosmetic surgeries. The position of the country in the ten best countries for overseas healthcare is because of the advanced technological facilities and low treatment cost.
Table of Contents
An Overview Of Cancer Treatment Estimation
- Type of cancer and their treatments
- Location of treatment
- Duration of the treatment
- Whether you will have inpatient care or outpatient care
- Health and other supplementary insurances for expats
- Logistics of the travel
- Prepare for any hidden costs
In general, cancer treatment cost will differ depending on the treatment choice like radiotherapy, surgery, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy.
The varying cost of radiation therapy for different types of cancer treatment Thailand is:
- Breast cancer: $2000 – $2600
- Lung cancer: $4400 – $6200
- Cervical cancer: $4500
- Prostate cancer: $5700
- Colon cancer: $3200
The estimates of cancer treatment cost Thailand also differs in different stages. For example, for an early stage treatment, you will be spending about $78,000, and when you are undergoing treatment for a secondary phase of metastasis, your expense will be approximately $130,900.
If you have access to government-funded hospitals, you are likely to spend 30 – 40% less on treatment cost than privately owned hospitals. This money-saving step includes longer waiting time, low-quality medical technology, and there is no expectation of medical expertise. Private hospitals may cost you more, but when you compare it to private hospitals in the US or UK you will be paying 60 – 70 percent less rounding up to $10,000 a month.
Thailand offers a multi-payer system viz., National Health Security Office (public health insurance) and private health insurance. Safeguard yourself from the expensive healthcare by arranging expat health insurances best suited for your budget and needs. There are specific health plans that will offer premium coverage for the entire cancer treatment cost.
Understanding The Different Approaches Of Procedures
Surgery: This approach involves the removal of the tumor from your body depending on the stage and type of cancer. If the condition makes it complicated to remove the entire tumor, the surgeon will take out parts of the tumor to ease the pain.
Radiation Therapy: Radiotherapy is a type of treatment that uses a high dosage of radiation to eliminate the cancer cells and reduce the tumor. This is a complicated and risky approach, because not only does the radiation kill the cancer cells, but it also affects healthy cells near the tumor. This results in side effects after the treatment.
Chemotherapy: In this approach, the doctor uses drugs to kill the cancerous cells. Similar to radiation therapy this method causes an adverse effect to nearby healthy cells by killing them or slowing their growth. Side-effects may include nausea, hair loss, and sores developed around the mouth.
Hormone Therapy: Hormonal therapy (or endocrine therapy) blocks or removes hormones to stop or slow down the growth of cancer cells.
Targeted Therapy: This is the most expensive approach for cancer treatment cost Thailand costing up to $9000. Targeted therapy is a method that targets the cancer cells specifically using drugs and other substances. The drugs identify cancer cells and attack them without affecting healthy cells around them. This treatment has lesser side-effects than other approaches.
In A Nutshell
The estimation of visiting a foreign land for cancer treatment will not go easy on your budget. The velocity of cancer involves effective drugs, heavy-duty equipment and continuous expenses for taking care of your health even after the treatment.
Besides spending an enormous amount of money on treatment, there will be collateral expenses too, but in the end the overall cost in a country like Thailand will anyway be lower than the one in your home country. For a detailed and more precise estimate you can contact us or one of our providers for a quotation.
References:
https://www.pacificprime.com/country/asia/thailand-health-insurance/
https://blog.lumahealth.com/cancer-treatment-cost-thailand
