Mahatma Gandhi once said: “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” Given how true his statement is, Forbes Thailand & TISCO Wealth Dinner Talk 2020, held on January 13, at The Athenee Hotel, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok, took “Medical Care Innovations: Fighting Cancer, Heart Disease, and Alzheimer’s” as its theme.
The event was honoured to have three prestigious medical specialists in cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s as speakers, namely, Associate Professor Virote Sriuranpong, MD, Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and Director of Chulalongkorn Comprehensive Cancer Center; Associate Professor Pranya Sakiyalak, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, and; Assistant Professor Sirintorn Chansirikarnjana, MD, Thai Board of Internal Medicine MSSc (Geriatric Medicine).
It was the 4th event in the series and attracted over 200 attendees. The three speakers shared their first-hand knowledge of medical innovations pertaining to treatment and how to prepare to face some of Thailand’s most dangerous diseases.
Associate Professor Virote told the audience that the cancer situation in Thailand is worrying and the trend is worsening. However, he said, there is some good news. Thanks new technologies and innovations, patients now have more treatment choices, ranging surgery to radiation therapy and medication. He cited as cause for hope “proton therapy”, a treatment that uses a beam of protons to deliver radiation directly to the tumour, thereby having minimal impact on surrounding tissue. He disclosed that the treatment technology will soon be available at Chulalongkorn Hospital.
Associate Professor Pranya noted that heart disease typically takes the form of ischemic heart disease and heart failure. He further explained that treatments are increasingly advanced and in some cases no longer require surgery. Doctors suggest the most appropriate treatment for each patient according to their specific condition. He also remarked on the increasing application of artificial hearts, though he said this is yet to prove wholly effective. So far, 12 people in Thailand have received artificial hearts, with each operation costing around 6 million baht, whereas the survival rate is around 70%.
Assistant Professor Sirintorn pointed out that dementia is not inevitable among seniors. The professor noted that there are many people who turn 100 years old without showing any dementia symptoms. The point was also made that while dementia and Alzheimer’s are critical, they are not the same thing. Whereas dementia is a syndrome in which cognitive function deteriorates, Alzheimer’s is caused by cell death which damages particular areas of the brain.
