A successful cancer treatment is about more than just making the tumour disappear

For Dr Bui Le Phuoc Thu Thao, Specialist Level II, the newly appointed Head of the Hy Vong Cancer Centre at FV Hospital, what matters most after treatment is not simply whether the tumour is gone, but the patient’s quality of life afterwards. Having dedicated 17 years to oncology, Dr Thu Thao cares deeply about this aspect.

Dr Bui Le Phuoc Thu Thao, Specialist Level II, Head of the Hy Vong Cancer Centre, FV Hospital

The tumour is gone, but what about the patient’s quality of life?

If we look only at the tumour, cancer treatment can be simply understood as finding a way to eliminate it. Yet in reality, Dr Thu Thao believes the greater challenge lies in controlling the cancer while preserving the patient’s vital bodily functions. A patient with laryngeal cancer once faced precisely this challenge under her care.

Faced with the need for a total laryngectomy, which would have resulted in permanent voice loss and significantly affected many aspects of daily life, Dr Thu Thao recognised that an alternative treatment approach could achieve comparable outcomes while preserving vital functions. Combining chemotherapy and radiotherapy was one such option. As a result, the patient was able to maintain a stable quality of life for many years.

For Dr Thu Thao, the most rewarding part was not just that the disease was controlled. More importantly, the patient gained many more years living with their own voice, remaining able to communicate and carry on with daily routines.

“The price of beating cancer should not be a life marked by regrettable impairments. Cancer directly threatens a patient’s quality of life, from the ability to communicate and eat to their appearance,” she shares.

That is why, during treatment, she always carefully weighs disease control against the potential side effects that therapy might leave behind.

Dr Thu Thao consulting a patient on treatment options. Photo: FV Hospital

Prioritising conservative treatment for patients

Few would imagine that this oncologist once had little interest in pursuing a career in medicine.

During her school years, Dr Thu Thao excelled in Mathematics and Physics. She entered the medical field largely to fulfil her family’s wishes. However, the oncology residency entrance examination steered her down a different path.

That year, she was the only woman accepted onto the programme and chose to specialise in radiotherapy, a field requiring a high degree of precision and a strong foundation in mathematics and physics.

During nearly a decade at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, she encountered a vast number of complex and advanced cancer cases.

With high patient volumes, many arrived at the hospital when their cancer was already at an advanced stage. In such circumstances, conservative treatment was not always an easy path to take.

There were days when Dr Thu Thao and medical physics engineers worked until 9:00 PM to design radiation therapy plans tailored to each individual patient.

The task was highly specific: how to deliver a sufficient radiation dose to the tumour to control the disease while minimising damage to nearby healthy tissues, such as the spinal cord, optic nerves and salivary glands.

These are decisions that cannot be made by following a generic formula.

Every tumour location and every patient require a tailored treatment plan.

Seeing patients who once seemed to have few options return to eating, speaking, and living normally for years following chemoradiotherapy is what continually reinforces Dr Thu Thao’s belief in the value of conservative treatment.

It is also an approach she sees mirrored in the philosophy that the Hy Vong Cancer Centre has pursued over many years.

Dr Thu Thao always prioritises conservative treatment for her patients. Photo: FV Hospital

Looking at a medical case with “two eyes”

After years of focusing on head and neck cancers, Dr Thu Thao expanded her expertise into comprehensive cancer care. She participated in international training programmes and fellowships in South Korea and Singapore, as well as through the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO).

Another milestone in her professional journey was becoming one of the first doctors trained in Palliative Care in Vietnam.

These two seemingly distinct fields, active treatment and palliative care, gradually came to complement each other in her approach to patient care.

On one side is the effort to control cancer through appropriate treatments. On the other are symptom management and pain relief, with the aim of supporting the patient’s best possible quality of life throughout their care journey.

Dr Thu Thao refers to this as looking with “two eyes”.

She refuses to wait until the end-of-life stage to consider palliative care. For many patients, symptom management, nutritional support, psychological care, and pain relief must be integrated right from the beginning of cancer treatment.

“Cancer treatment is not always a matter of hitting the disease as hard as possible. The key is to choose the right option for each individual patient at the right time, while taking into account many factors that were previously overlooked, such as bodily function, quality of life, and the personal wishes of patients and their families,” she reflects.

Spreading the value of international-standard care at FV

Joining FV Hospital and officially taking on the role of Head of the Hy Vong Cancer Centre from 1 October 2026, Dr Thu Thao applies advanced radiotherapy techniques (IMRT, VMAT, SRS/SBRT, DIBH) to complex cancers such as head and neck, breast, lung, and brain metastases. In particular, stereotactic radiotherapy, one of FV’s key strengths, continues to be further developed under her leadership. This non-surgical treatment approach is designed to deliver precise radiation to the tumour while helping to preserve surrounding healthy tissues.

Dr Thu Thao also develops treatment plans involving concurrent chemoradiotherapy, hormone therapy and targeted therapy, while further developing advanced techniques such as CyberKnife radiosurgery and brachytherapy.

A patient undergoing brachytherapy treatment. Photo: FV Hospital

Her extensive experience in palliative care and pain management is seamlessly integrated throughout the treatment process rather than being deferred to the final stages.

Another area she is passionate about is the development of paediatric oncology services. When treating children, every decision must account not only for immediate disease control but also for long-term impacts years down the line: physical development, bodily functions, and the child’s quality of life into adulthood.

“Taking on a new responsibility comes with considerable pressure, but it is a positive challenge. FV provides me with a professional environment where I can fully dedicate myself to my work and patient safety,” says Dr Thu Thao.

For her, a cancer treatment journey does not simply end the moment a tumour vanishes on a scan.

What truly matters to her is how much of their normal life a patient can reclaim beyond the hospital doors.

Book an appointment with Dr Bui Le Phuoc Thu Thao, Specialist Level II – Head of the Hy Vong Cancer Centre, FV Hospital (6 Nguyen Luong Bang, Tan My Ward, Ho Chi Minh City). Tel: (028) 35 11 33 33.

FV applies a combined policy for Health Insurance benefits, private insurance, FV Membership (equivalent to FV Insurance – if applicable), and 0% interest hospital fee instalment plans.