Dr Tan Yah Yuen
Senior Consultant & Breast Surgeon
MBBS (Singapore), FRCS (Edin), FRCS (Glas), FRCSEd (Gen), FAMS, GDipHML
Languages: English, Mandarin, Hokkien
MBBS (Singapore), FRCS (Edin), FRCS (Glas), FRCSEd (Gen), FAMS, GDipHML
Languages: English, Mandarin, Hokkien
Dr Tan is our Senior Consultant and Breast Surgeon practicing at Solis. She is a key opinion leader in her field and is actively involved in the training of breast surgeons in the region. She has special interests in minimally invasive breast biopsies, sentinel lymph node biopsy, targeted axilla dissection and delayed sentinel node biopsy.
Education and Surgical Training
She obtained her medical degree from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1995, and pursued surgical training after completion of her internship, and received post-graduate diplomas from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow in 1999.
Dr Tan underwent advanced surgical training at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and received further accreditation in General Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2003.
Awarded the HMDP Scholarship
In pursuit of her interest in breast surgery, Dr Tan was the recipient of the HMDP scholarship awarded by the Ministry of Health and spent 12 months in subspecialty training in Breast and Endocrine Surgery at the University of California San Francisco in 2004.
Establishing Sentinel Lymph Node Programs at TTSH and KKH
Upon her return from the United States in 2005, Dr Tan assisted in the establishment of the sentinel lymph node program for early breast cancer in Tan Tock Seng Hospital using a dual radionuclide and blue dye technique. Today, selective sentinel lymphadenectomy is the standard of care for women with early breast cancer. In 2005, Dr Tan joined the newly set up specialised Breast Unit in KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), where she managed and treated solely breast diseases ranging from developmental and lactational problems to benign tumours and breast cancer.
Published in the Field of Breast Surgery
Dr Tan is also widely published in the field of breast surgery in multiple local, regional, and international journals. She previously received a S$1million Ministry of Health grant to research the usefulness of mammary ductoscopy in women with pathological nipple discharge and breast cancer from 2007-2010.
Interests in Invasive Techniques in Breast Surgery
Dr Tan’s other interests include minimally invasive techniques in breast surgery, including ultrasound-guided vacuum-assisted needle biopsies (mammotomy).
Recognizing Her Efforts Towards Patient Care
In recognition of her efforts towards patient care, she was awarded the SPRING Singapore Excellent Service Award (EXSA) Silver, Gold, and Star Awards from 2007-2009 respectively, and the KKH CEO Heart Award in 2008.
Member of the International Society of Surgeons and Breast Surgery International
Before establishing her private practice, Dr Tan was a senior consultant at the Breast Surgery Department at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. She is currently a member of the International Society of Surgeons and Breast Surgery International.
Read Articles By Dr Tan Yah Yuen
Medical Publications By Dr Tan Yah Yuen
Young breast cancer in a specialised breast unit in Singapore: clinical, radiological and pathological factors.
Teo SY, Chuwa E, Latha S, Lew YL, Tan YY.
Ann Acad Med Singapore. 2014 Feb;43(2):79–85.
Intraepidermal malignancy in breast skin: A tale of two tumours.
Zhao Z, Tay TKY, Agrawal R, Tan VKM, Tan YY, Tan PH.
Human Pathol Case Rep. 2018;14:33–37.
Attitudes toward fertility preservation in female cancer patients.
Loi K, Lau M, Loh SF, Tan YY, Hong GS, Chan MY, Tan AM.
J Reprod Med. 2010 Sep-Oct;55(9–10):411–416.
A case report of aggressive fibromatosis with bone involvement.
Tan YY, Low CK, Chong PY.
Singapore Med J. 1999;40(2):111–112.
Verrucous haemangioma – case report.
Tan YY, Seah CS, Tan PH.
Ann Acad Med Singapore. 1998;27:255–257.
MRSA breast abscesses in postpartum women.
Chuwa E, Wong CMY, Tan YY, Hong GS.
Asian J Surg. 2009 Jan;32(1):55–58.
DOI: 10.1016/S1015-9584(09)60010-5
Does routine consultation of thyroid fine-needle aspiration cytology change surgical management?
Tan YY, Kebebew E, Reiff E, Caron NR, Ogilvie JB, Duh QY, Clark OH, Ljung BM, Miller T.
J Am Coll Surg. 2007;205:8–12.
Selective use of adrenal venous sampling in the lateralization of aldosterone producing adenomas.
Tan YY, Ogilvie JB, Triponez F, Caron NR, Kebebew EK, Clark OH, Duh QY.
World J Surg. 2006;30(5):879–885.
Selective modified radical neck dissection for papillary thyroid cancer – Is level I, II and V dissection always necessary? (2nd author)
Caron NR, Tan YY, Ogilvie JB, Triponez F, Reiff ES, Kebebew E, Duh QY, Clark OH.
World J Surg. 2006;30(5):833–840.
Predictors of axillary lymph node metastases in women with early breast cancer in Singapore (2nd author)
Tan LG, Tan YY, Heng D, Chan MY.
Singapore Med J. 2005;46(12):693–697.
Ratio of positive to total number of sentinel nodes predicts nonsentinel node status in breast cancer patients.
Tan YY, Fan YG, Lu Y, Hwang S, Ewing C, Esserman L, Morita E, Treseler P, Leong SP.
Breast J. 2005;11(4):248–253.
Primary tumour characteristics predict sentinel lymph node macrometastasis in breast cancer.
Tan YY, Wu CT, Fan YG, Hwang S, Ewing C, Lane K, Esserman L, Lu Y, Treseler P, Morita E, Leong SP.
Breast J. 2005;11(5):338–343.
Positive predictive value of BI-RADS categorization in an Asian population.
Tan YY, Wee SB, Tan MP, Chong BK.
Asian J Surg. 2004;27(3):186–191.
DOI:10.1016/S1015-9584(09)60030-0
Management delays for early gastric cancer in a country without mass screening (2nd author)
Look M, Tan YY, Vijayan A, Teh CH, Low CH.
Hepatogastroenterology. 2003;50(51):873–876.
Melioidosis splenic abscess — an unusual presentation as osteomyelitis of rib.
Tan YY, Agasthian T, Low CH, Ang BS.
Ann Acad Med Singapore. 2001;30:48–50.
