On September 22, Lt. Col. Dr. Somchai Thanasittichai, Director of the National Cancer Institute, talked about the cancer situation in Thailand. According to the data, there are approximately 140,000 patients with all types of cancer per year in Thailand. The statistics of common cancers have not changed. They are liver cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, and colon cancer. As for heart cancer or heart muscle cancer, as reported by a Thai male celebrity who died of heart muscle cancer (Mr. Akkapan Namat or Aom, a Thai male actor), it is very rare. Whether it is the statistics of the whole world or in Thailand, it is rare, including Thailand. Because by nature, cancer is caused by abnormal cell or organ division and mutation. The body has a process to detect abnormal division of that organ or cell. But if the detection process worsens or the repair is damaged, there is a chance of cancer. In the human heart, heart cells are mature cells that do not divide very often. This means that the chance of abnormal division is low. Therefore, this type of cancer does not occur very often.
Col. Dr. Somchai continued that, however, the cause of heart cancer and heart muscle is still unknown. However, some genetics have been found to be related to the disease, meaning that there are abnormalities since birth, which leads to the disease. However, it must be said that this does not happen to everyone. As for other risks, they are general risks that have not been clearly proven. There is very little information in this case. In Thailand, it is estimated that there are 5-7 patients per year. The most common age range is 30-50 years old. The average age worldwide is 44 years old, and it is mostly found in men. The incidence rate is 0.1 per 1 million people.
The treatment of cardiac muscle cancer is similar to the treatment of other types of cancer. However, the difference is that since the heart is a vital organ, it is difficult to remove it surgically. This is because the heart muscle is made up of cells that have already grown and do not divide much. Therefore, it is not very sensitive to chemotherapy or radiation. Chemotherapy is sensitive when cells divide quickly. Therefore, treatment is more difficult.
“In the early stages of cardiac muscle cancer, there are not many symptoms. Symptoms will appear when the disease is severe. When it is severe enough, surgery is not possible. Most of the treatments are palliative care. More than half of people with this disease will die within about 6 months because most of them are already in advanced stages. While the treatment is palliative care, those who can receive chemotherapy with good results may live longer. Those who can undergo surgery may live a little longer,” said Lt. Col. Dr. Somchai.
When asked that there is currently a link to the COVID-19 vaccine causing myocarditis, which may lead to this type of cancer, Lt. Col. Dr. Somchai said that this is an attempt to link the vaccine to what effects it has. But the facts are: 1. The mRNA vaccine does cause myocarditis, but the incidence rate is not very high. It is more common in teenagers. In Thailand, there are many cases of this condition, but most of them return to normal. Therefore, I would like to emphasize that this is different from vaccination. 2. In the past, we have heard about vaccination causing Turbo cancer or a large number of cancers. However, from monitoring the incidence of cancer in Thailand, some cancers have decreased, some have increased, but the average increase is 3%. It has never fallen out of this statistic. If it is really cancer caused by the vaccine, it should be leukemia because it is more related to immunity. At present, there is no information that it is related to heart cancer or heart muscle cancer.
When asked if the case of heart abnormalities or damage that leaves traces of damage will lead to other diseases, Lt. Col. Dr. Somchai said that it is like our body having wounds. If the severity is not severe, the body has a natural repair process and will return to normal. But if the damage is severe, the repair can be cured, but it will leave scars in the heart, which will affect the electrical conduction. Arrhythmia may occur, which is both dangerous and dangerous if it occurs in the problematic area. However, it does not occur much. And the third group has a lot of inflammation of the heart, to the point that the heart repair is not the same, which will cause other conditions, such as reduced heart contractions, fatigue from the heart not working at its full potential. But overall, the problems caused by the vaccine are few.
“How to observe abnormalities, we must separate them into physical abnormalities and cardiac muscle cancer abnormalities. The latter occurs rarely, so don’t think about it yet. Therefore, it is better to observe physical abnormalities, such as easily tiring, which is usually an irregular heartbeat, or smoking, eating high-fat foods, and having little physical activity, which will cause the coronary arteries to narrow, which is common. The heart contracts less. Have regular annual health checks. If any disease is found, it can be treated,” said Lt. Col. Dr. Somchai.
