While in his native Vietnam, Van Hoang Huynh learned he had a large tumor on his liver, the same cancer that claimed the lives of his mother and brother.
“Their mindset was if you had surgery you might die right away,” says Hoang’s daughter, Jenny Huynh. “So they didn’t do anything and died within a year. My father shared the same fear but didn’t let it get the best of him.”
Instead, the 73-year-old had 60% of his liver removed at Methodist Richardson Medical Center, and the Plano restaurant owner is now cancer-free, thanks to a team led by Joseph F. Buell, MD, a hepatobiliary and surgical oncologist on the medical staff.
Hoang (pronounced hah-wang) returned to Vietnam after completing chemotherapy in the fall and looks forward to more healthy years ahead.
“We’re so thankful to the team at Methodist and to Dr. Buell for his expertise,” Hoang says.
Jenny Huynh got her father back to the States and quickly found the right team to help him.
OFTEN UNDIAGNOSED
For years, Hoang lived with hepatitis C, a viral infection that inflames the liver and, in his case, eventually led to fibrosis, a buildup of scar tissue in the organ.
It’s estimated that 7% of adults live with undiagnosed liver fibrosis, according to a Lancet study, because there are often no symptoms in its earliest stages, even after the disease progresses to cirrhosis.
Hoang’s cancer was discovered after he suffered a stroke while vacationing abroad.
“We thought it might be my heart,” Hoang says, “but then the scan came back showing a mass on my liver. The next day, they said it was cancer.”
Jenny flew her father back home to have the surgery in the Dallas area, and they were referred to Dr. Buell at Methodist Richardson, who wanted to see Hoang right away.
At Methodist, we don’t just focus on your cancer. We care for you as a whole person. Learn more at MethodistHealthSystem.org
OPEN AND HONEST
Treating the Vietnamese community is nothing new for Dr. Buell, who has visited the country during a medical mission and even met Vietnam’s president once.
“The Vietnamese community is notoriously underserved, and there’s often a hesitancy to seek medical care,” he says. “That makes it so important to be completely open and honest.”
Dr. Buell told Hoang that the tumor was too large to remove right away because there wouldn’t be enough healthy liver left behind. Instead, the surgeon performed a novel procedure to divert the tumor’s blood supply while also promoting growth in the rest of the organ.
“We did something very unique where we blocked off the portal vein and the hepatic vein to the side with the tumor,” Dr. Buell says, referring to the liver’s two main sources of blood. “That allowed the good liver to grow quicker without his cancer spreading.”
After that procedure in December, Hoang returned to Methodist Richardson in February 2024 to have the tumor and most of his liver removed.
“Dr. Buell did a very good job,” Hoang says. “His staff was so dedicated, and the surgery was very thorough.”
After his lifesaving surgery, Hoang is looking forward to many healthy years to come.
A LIFESAVING DISCOVERY
So thorough, in fact, that it led to another discovery: Hoang also had gallbladder cancer. That, too, was removed during a three-hour surgery performed by Dr. Buell and his partner Houssam Osman, MD, hepatobiliary surgeon on the medical staff at Methodist Richardson.
“We were so fortunate to not only be able to cure the liver cancer,” Dr. Buell says, “but also the gallbladder cancer, which is often fatal.”
Now Hoang is looking forward to several more quality years with his loved ones, running the family restaurant and occasionally returning to his homeland.
All because he didn’t surrender to the fear that he might share the fate of his mother, brother, and mother-in-law.
“We had to educate my dad about the surgery and tell him he should go for it,” Jenny says. “He went from one doctor telling him he may only have six months to live to Dr. Buell giving him so much more.”
Connect With Methodist