The Burden of Head and Neck Cancers in Thailand
Patravoot Vatanasapt MD*, Sanguansak Thanaviratananich MD*, Teeraporn Ratanaanekchai MD*, Kaewjai Thepsuthammarat PhD**
Affiliation : * Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand ** Clinical Epidemiology Unit ,Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Objective : To determine the overall burden of disease vis-a-vis head and neck cancers in Thailand, as indicated by visits to
healthcare units, admissions for treatment and expenditures at all levels of the healthcare delivery system.
Material and Method: A descriptive study was conducted by retrieving and analysing data for the fiscal year 2010 from the
National Health Security Office (NHSO) and the Social Security Office, Thailand and from in-patient data of the Civil Servants
Benefit System from the Comptroller General’s Department.
Results : In 2010, there were 167,199 visits to outpatient departments (OPDs) and 26,012 admissions to hospital (IPD) for
diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancers. The most common diagnosis for visits to OPD and admission to IPD was
oral cancer (28.2% and 25%, respectively). The mean length of hospital stay was 9 days. About half of admissions took place
in the central region. The hospital charges totalled 691 million Baht (US$ 21.8 million), or an average of 26,556 Baht (USS
838) per admission.
Conclusion : Since a relatively high volume of hospital visits was found, there is an urgent need to train sufficient numbers of
specialists in the field of head and neck cancer treatments to provide efficient healthcare.
Keywords : Burden, Inpatient, Outpatient, Expenditure, Head and neck cancers, Thailand
