"Fred Hutch Cancer Center" "Cures Start Here"

Yolanda D. Tseng, MD

Provider

Yolanda D. Tseng, MD

Physician, Fred Hutch
Associate Professor, Radiation Oncology Division, Fred Hutch
Assistant Professor, Division of Radiation Oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine

Specialty:

Radiation Oncology

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“I’m always impressed by my patients’ strength during a stressful and uncertain period of their lives. The care we provide — clinical, emotional and personal — is one of the most gratifying aspects of being an oncologist.”

— Dr. Tseng

What drew you to radiation oncology?

When I was a medical student, I was on rotation with a surgeon who happened to work in a sarcoma clinic. Sarcomas are cancers that grow in the bones and connective tissue like muscles or tendons. I watched as three different physicians — the surgeon, a medical oncologist and a radiation oncologist — sat down together with a patient to talk about his treatment options. That was my first clinical exposure to radiation oncology. I loved the team-based approach to care and the close collaboration among people who have different areas of expertise. What also appealed to me was the chance to make a meaningful impact on patients’ lives in multiple ways, providing curative therapy as well as symptom relief.

What do you think patients appreciate about working with you?

The optimal cancer treatment for each person may not always be black and white. There may be multiple treatment pathways available that could be a good fit. While it’s helpful to have options, trying to choose among them can also create a lot of anxiety for people. In those situations, I remind patients and families that you can’t make a wrong choice, because the option you choose is going to be most aligned with your goals and what’s important to you. If you understand what those goals are, then whatever decision you make is the right one. Many patients seem to find that perspective liberating.

Provider Background

Area of Clinical Practice
Hematological malignancies, brain and spinal cord tumors

I am a board-certified radiation oncologist with experience treating a variety of cancers. My main area of focus is working with patients who have hematological malignancies — which include cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia — as well as tumors affecting the brain and central nervous system. I provide care at Fred Hutch, UW Medical Center and Proton Therapy.

My interests as a clinical researcher include how advanced techniques, such as proton therapy, can improve patient outcomes. I also study how patient characteristics and tumor subtypes affect the response to radiotherapy. A third area of interest is the benefit and delivery of radiation to relieve symptoms of cancer (known as palliative radiation), especially near the end of life.

Diseases Treated

Brain and Spinal Cord Cancers

Hodgkin Lymphoma

Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Multiple Myeloma

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia

Languages

English

Education, Experience and Certifications

Medical Degree
Harvard Medical School

Residency
Harvard Medical School, 2014, Radiation Oncology

Board Certification
Radiation Oncology, 2015, American Board of Radiology

Other
Internship, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Stories

All news

Celebrating 10 Years of proton therapy in the Northwest; proton therapy clinical trials; newest team coordinator, Jenny Dang

Celebrating 10 Years of proton therapy in the Northwest; proton therapy clinical trials; newest team coordinator, Jenny Dang February 28, 2023

At 27, Matt faced his third bout of cancer, this time hodgkin lymphoma

At 27, Matt faced his third bout of cancer, this time hodgkin lymphoma After dealing with childhood cancers, Matt's cancer worries weren't over. February 28, 2023

Cyclist chooses proton therapy to treat non-hodgkin lymphoma

Cyclist chooses proton therapy to treat non-hodgkin lymphoma August 31, 2022

We make promising new treatments available to you through studies called clinical trials led by Fred Hutch physicians. Many of these trials at Fred Hutch have led to FDA-approved treatments and have improved standards of care globally. Together, you and your physician can decide if a study is right for you.

Find a Clinical Trial Led by Yolanda Tseng

Many of our Fred Hutch physicians conduct ongoing research to improve standards of patient care. Their work is evaluated by other physicians and selected for publication to the United States National Library of Medicine, the largest medical library in the world. See scientific papers this Fred Hutch physician has written.

View Dr. Tseng's Publications

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