Dr. Dr Tan Yah Yuen

General Surgery and Breast Surgery training (1996-2003)

Singapore General Hospital Tan Tock Seng Hospital Changi General Hospital Alexandra Hospital National Cancer Centre

Surgical Fellow

Breast and Endocrine Surgery, University of California San Francisco (2004) Cancer Institute Hospital Tokyo, 2006

Associate Consultant / Consultant / Senior consultant (2005 – 2010)

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

Senior Consultant (2010 – current)

BreastCare Surgery Pte Ltd , Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre

Solis Breast Care and Surgery Centre, Paragon Medical Centre

Breast Cancer Surgery

Breast Surgery

Minimally-invasive breast biopsies

Minimally-invasive techniques in breast surgery

Delayed Sentinel Node Biopsy

Targeted Axilla Dissection

Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy

Verrucous Haemangioma – Case Report

YY Tan, CS Seah, ST Lee

Ann Acad Med Singapore 1998;27:255-7

A Case Report of Aggressive Fibromatosis with Bone Involvement YY Tan, W Chew, CK Low

Singapore Med J 1999;Vol 40(2):111-112

Melioidosis Splenic Abscess – An unusual presentation as Osteomyelitis of Rib

YY Tan, T Agasthian, CH Low, BSP Ang

Ann Acad Med Singapore 2001;30:48-50

Management Delays for Early Gastric Cancer in a Country without Mass Screening M Look, YY Tan, A Vijayan, CH Teh, CH Low

Hepato-gastroenterology 2003;50(51):873-6

Management Strategies Based on Incidence and Pattern of Pelvic Fracture Related Organ Injuries YY Tan, MT Chiu

Asian Journal of Surgery 2001;Vol 24(Supp.2):138

Needle-guided Open Surgical Biopsy of Non-Palpable Breast Lesions – A 6 Year Review YY Tan, SB Wee, M Sitoh-Tan, BK Chong

Asian Journal of Surgery 2001;Vol 24(Supp.2):130

Positive Predictive Value of BI-RADS Categorization in an Asian Population YY Tan, SB Wee, M Sitoh-Tan, BK Chong

Asian Journal of Surgery 2004;Vol 27(3):186-91

Ratio of Positive to Total Number of Sentinel Nodes Predicts Nonsentinel Node Status in Breast Cancer Patients YY Tan, YG Fan, Y Lu, S Hwang, C Ewing, L Esserman, E Morita, P Treseler, SPL Leong

The Breast Journal 2005;Vol 11(4):248-53

The Effect of Sentinel Node Tumour Burden on Non-Sentinel Node Status and Recurrence Rates in Breast Cancer YG Fan, YY Tan, CT Wu, P Treseler, Y Lu, CW Chan, S Hwang, C Ewing, L Esserman, E Morita, SPL Leong

Annals of Surgical Oncology 2005 Sept; Vol 12(9):705-11

Primary Tumour Characteristics Predict Sentinel Lymph Node Macrometastasis in Breast Cancer

YY Tan, CT Wu, YG Fan, S Hwang, C Ewing, K Lane, L Esserman, Y Lu, P Treseler, E Morita, SPL Leong

The Breast Journal 2005;Vol 11(5):338-43

Predictors of Axillary Lymph Node Metastases in Women with Early Breast Cancer in Singapore LGL Tan, YY Tan, D Heng, MY Chan

Singapore Med J 2005;46(12):693-7

Selective Use of Adrenal Venous Sampling in the Lateralization of Aldosterone Producing Adenomas YY Tan, JB Ogilvie, F Triponez, NR Caron, EK Kebebew, OH Clark, QY Duh

World J Surg 2006;30(5):879-85

Selective Modified Radical Neck Dissection for Papillary Thyroid Cancer – Is Level I, II and V Dissection Always Necessary?

NR Caron, YY Tan, JB Ogilvie, F Triponez, ES Reiff, E Kebebew, QY Duh, OH Clark. World J Surg 2006;30(5):833-40

Advances in Breast Cancer Surgery YY Tan

KK Hospital Review 2006;9(2):79-81

Breast Cancer Screening and Biopsy YY Tan, GS Hong

Practical Obstetrics & Gynaecology Handbook for the General Practitioner, 1st edition, 2006. World Scientific & Imperial College Press.

Does routine consultation of thyroid fine-needle aspiration cytology change surgical management? YY Tan, E Kebebew, E Reiff, NR Caron, JB Ogilvie, QY Duh, OH Clark, BM Ljung, T Miller

            J     Am     Coll     Surg     2007;205:8-12                              

The number of lymphatic channels does not affect metastasis to the sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer

D Tzou, YY Tan, J Hwang, M Florero, C Ewing, L Esserman, S Hwang, E Morita, SPL Leong Journal of Nuclear Medicine (accepted)

Accuracy of frozen section in sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer YY Tan, E Chuwa, GS Hong

Eur J Cancer 2008;6(7)Supp:158 (abstract only)

Outcomes of stereotactic breast core biopsy (SBCB) of BIRADS category 4 microcalcifications E Chuwa, SY Teo, YY Tan, GS Hong (accepted)

MRSA breast abscesses in postpartum women E Chuwa, Wong CM, YY Tan, GS Hong

Asian J Surg 2009 Jan;32(1):55-8

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

Zhao Z, Tay TKY, Agrawal R, Tan VKM, Tan YY, Tan PH Intraepidermal malignancy in breast skin: A tale of two tumours

Human Pathology Case Reports 14(2018) 33-37

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.

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.

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, Singapore Society of Oncology, 2007 to date

Member, Society of Endoscopic & Laparoscopic Surgeons of Asia, 2003 to date Member, Endocrine & Metabolic Society of Singapore, 2005 to date

Member, International Society of Surgery, 2006 to date Member, Breast Surgery International, 2006 to date

Member, Association of Women Doctors Singapore, 2006 to date

Member, American Society of Breast Surgeons (current)