Our Location

MammoCare
290 Orchard Road
#07-09 Paragon Medical Suite
Singapore 238859
Phone: (65) 6734-4880
Fax : (65) 6734-7009

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Working Hours

Mon - Fri: 8:30 am to 5:30 pm
Sat: Strictly by Appointment

Profile

Singapore Breast Specialist Dr. Mona Tan's Profile

Dr Mona Tan, Consultant Breast and Endocrine Surgeon, obtained her basic medical degree (M.B.B.S) from the National University of Singapore and was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh (FRCS) in 1995. She completed her training in General Surgery and was fully accredited a specialist by the Ministry of Health in 1998.

Dr Tan underwent subspecialty training in breast surgical oncology and endocrine surgery at the New South Wales Breast Cancer Institute and University of Sydney in 2000. Although she was trained as a general surgeon and had additional training in both Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Dr Tan no longer treats patients with any surgical condition other than breast issues. She is a dedicated surgical oncologist, dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of breast disease conditions, and does not perform any aesthetic or plastic procedures. She feels that by confining her practice exclusively to breast surgery in this manner, she will be able to offer her patients what she believes to be the most appropriate and up-to-date care for breast conditions. The demands of keeping abreast of the latest developments in this field is significant and leaves her little time to be well informed of other areas in general surgery. Thus, Dr Tan has chosen willingly to give up the rest of general surgery to focus her attention on patients with breast health conditions.

Because of her focus on breast disease, she has accumulated a vast amount experience in the field of breast surgery. As early on as in the year 2000, she was already recognised as an authority on the Mammotomy procedure. She was invited as a faculty member at the International Breast Ultrasound School Seminar in Sydney to demonstrate the Mammotomy procedure. She is one of the select few who have had the distinction to teach this procedure on an international platform. Having done a few thousand of these procedures, she has developed a technique of completing the mammotomy procedure with minimal discomfort for her patients.

In addition, Dr Tan has written papers on various topics pertaining to the care and treatment of breast disease. She has also been an invited speaker, giving lectures at regional conferences. Her special interests are minimally invasive diagnostic techniques for breast diseases and breast conservation treatment for breast cancer.

Dr Tan's experience is documented and published in the following premier scientific journals:

  1. British Journal of Surgery 2003
  2. Lancet Oncology 2005
  3. The American Journal of Surgery 2007
  4. The Breast Journal 2007
  5. ANZ Journal of Surgery 2006
  6. World Journal of Surgery 2007
  7. Annals of Surgical Oncology 2008

Based on the published articles, Dr Tan has scored several firsts. She is the first surgeon internationally to write about a technical approach using the angular vein for a cancer procedure called axillary dissection. This technique minimizes complications of lymph node removal surgery. She is also the first Singapore surgeon to publish her personal results for sentinel node biopsy, now a standard procedure for early breast cancer treatment. These results indicate that her technique is well within accepted international standards. In addition, she is the first internationally to describe special oncoplastic techniques with a particular type of incision (The Boomerang Incision). Oncoplastic techniques are the methods used to achieve complete removal of breast cancer, with a clear margin and yet maintain the shape of the breast without using tissue from other parts of the body to reconstruct. It is noteworthy that Dr Tan has written not one, but two papers on this subject; both published in reputable, high impact international medical journals. A third article is in the works. Experts in the field of breast surgery have written to request copies of her articles as her approaches and techniques have generated interest internationally.

As of 8 May 2008, Dr Tan has published the most number of articles relating to breast surgery as the first author amongst all the leading surgeons in Singapore with an interest in breast surgery. She remains committed to excellence in breast surgery so that she can help her patients conquer breast cancer with minimal change to her lifestyle and physical self.