Recent research from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that breast cancer is the most prevalent malignant tumor among women, posing a significant threat to women's health. Surgery remains the primary therapeutic modality for breast cancer. Recently, endoscopic and robotic breast surgical techniques have gained acceptance among both surgeons and patients. However, considerable variation exists in surgical approaches and outcomes. To standardize these techniques, facilitate their broader clinical adoption, and ultimately improve patient care, the Endoscopic-robotic Breast Surgery Clinical Trials Consortium (ErBSCTC) of China has developed this guideline. This document encompasses the technologies and instrumentation utilized in endoscopic and robotic breast surgery, surgical techniques, perioperative management, complication handling, long-term follow-up, and oncologic outcomes, aiming to provide evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals involved in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of breast diseases.

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor among women in China, with surgery being one of the primary treatment modalities. Endoscopic/robotic breast surgery (ErBS) is gaining widespread acceptance among patients and surgeons alike due to its advantages of minimal invasiveness, superior cosmetic outcomes, and accelerated recovery. However, substantial heterogeneity currently exists across China regarding patient selection, standardized operative techniques, perioperative management, and complication handling, underscoring the urgent need for evidence-based consensus guidelines. To promote standardization and ensure consistent quality of ErBS, the Chinese Endoscopic-Robotic Breast Surgery Clinical Trials Consortium (CErBSCTC) has systematically reviewed the latest high-quality evidence and formulated the "Protocol for China Endoscopic and Robotic Breast Surgery Guidelines (2026 edition)", which outlines a comprehensive methodology for guideline development.

Objective To investigate the safety, economic benefits and psychological effects of day breast conserving surgery for breast cancer. Methods The demographic data and clinical data of breast cancer patients undergoing day (day surgery group) and ward (ward surgery group) breast conserving surgeries in West China Hospital of Sichuan University from March 2020 to June 2021 were retrospectively collected; the demographic data, clinical data, medical and related transportation costs, and preoperative and postoperative BREAST-Q scores of breast cancer patients undergoing day (day surgery group) and ward (ward surgery group) breast conserving surgery in West China Hospital of Sichuan University from June 2021 to June 2022 were prospectively collected. The safety, economic benefit, and psychological satisfaction of day surgery was analyzed. Results A total of 42 women with breast cancer were included in the retrospective study and 39 women with breast cancer were included in the prospective study. In both prospective and retrospective studies, the mean age of patients in both groups were <50 years. There were only statistical differences between the two groups in the aspects of hypertension (P=0.022), neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P=0.037) and postoperative pathological estrogen receptor (P=0.033) in the prospective study. In postoperative complications, there were no statistical differences in the surgical-related complications or anesthesia-related complications between the two groups in either the prospective study or the retrospective study (P>0.05). In terms of the overall cost, we found that the day surgery group was more economical than the ward surgery group in the prospective study (P=0.002). There were no statistical differences in postoperative psychosocical well-being, sexual well-being, satisfaction with breasts or chest condition between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion It is safe and reliable to carry out breast conserving surgery in day surgery center under strict management standards, which can save medical costs and will not cause great psychological burden to patients.

Objective To explore the clinical and aesthetic results of single axillary approach reverse sequence endoscopic nipple-sparing mastectomy of breast cancer combined with subpectoral implant-based breast reconstruction (IBBR) for breast cancer patients. Methods The clinical data of consecutive female patients who underwent single axillary approach reverse sequence endoscopic nipple-sparing mastectomy of breast cancer combined with subpectoral IBBR from May 2020 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patient demographics, perioperative parameters, complications and aesthetic results were collected. Results A total of 62 patients (74 breasts) were included. The mean age of patients was (39.0±7.8) years. The total mean operation time was (185.2±45.5) minutes. Five (8.1%) patients suffered from surgical complications. Two (3.2%) patients experienced major complications, and 3 (4.8%) suffered from minor complications. No patient experienced partial nipple-areola complex necrosis. Seventeen (27.4%) patients experienced implant related complications, of which 11 (17.7%) experienced capsular contracture. During a median follow-up time of 30 months ranging from 11 to 42 months, no patient experienced locoregional recurrence, distant metastasis or death. Thirty-seven (88.1%) patients evaluated their breasts as good or excellent. In the surgeon-reported cosmetic results, 40 (95.2%) patients achieved excellent or good results. Conclusion This surgical technique is characterized by minimal trauma, short operation time, high safety, and excellent cosmetic outcomes for patients with small breasts and mild ptosis, making it worthy of further promotion.

Pathological diagnosis is the gold standard for confirming breast cancer. Traditional manual pathological diagnosis methods for breast cancer are time-consuming, labor-intensive, highly subjective, and exhibit poor diagnostic consistency. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) technology has rapidly advanced and is progressively being applied clinically as a promising early diagnostic tool. However, many existing AI models lack interpretability, which limits the trustworthiness of their clinical application. Khater et al, by combining a high-precision machine learning model with an explainable AI model, achieved highly accurate breast tumor diagnosis and provided explanations for key biological and pathological features influencing the diagnostic results. This points the way for the future application and development of AI in medical diagnosis and treatment. The article interprets the main content of that study, and analyzes the advantages and limitations of AI in medical diagnosis and treatment, with the aim of promoting its better application in clinical practice.

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in women, and its treatment and management strategies are crucial for improving patients’ prognosis and quality of life. Early breast cancer refers to lesions confined to the breast and regional lymph nodes (N1 stage) without distant metastasis. Thanks to the improvement of screening techniques, the detection rate of early breast cancer has increased. The “early diagnosis and early treatment” model has led to a decrease in breast cancer mortality, especially among young women. The 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of early breast cancer aims to provide comprehensive and standardized recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of early breast cancer, helping clinicians make optimal decisions. This article interprets the main content of the guideline in order to provide references and assistance for the current clinical diagnosis and treatment of early breast cancer in China.

OBJECTIVE: To optimize the perioperative management experiences for breast cancer patients undergoing direct-to-implant-based breast reconstruction, and provide reference for clinical practice. METHODS: A comprehensive review of recent domestic and international literature was conducted to systematically summarize the key points of perioperative management for direct-to-implant-based breast reconstruction, including preoperative health education, intraoperative strategies, and postoperative management measures, along with an introduction to the clinical experiences of West China Hospital of Sichuan University. RESULTS: Standardized perioperative management can effectively reduce the incidence of complications and achieve excellent cosmetic outcomes and quality of life after operation. Preoperative management includes proactive health education to alleviate patients' anxiety and improve treatment compliance, as well as comprehensive assessment by surgeons of the patient's physical condition and reconstructive expectations to select the most appropriate implant. Intraoperative management consists of strict aseptic technique, minimizing implant exposure, preserving blood supply to the nipple-areola complex (e.g., by using minimally invasive techniques or indocyanine green angiography, etc), and meticulous hemostasis. Postoperative management encompasses multimodal analgesia, individualized drain management (such as early removal or retaining a small amount of fluid to optimize contour), infection prevention and control (including topical and systemic antibiotics, ultrasound-guided minimally invasive drainage), guidance on rehabilitation exercises (early activity restriction followed by gradual recovery), and regular follow-up to evaluate aesthetic results and monitor for complications. CONCLUSION Establishing a standardized, multidisciplinary perioperative management framework markedly enhances surgical safety and patient satisfaction, thereby providing a replicable benchmark for direct-to-implant-based breast reconstruction across diverse clinical settings.
Humans ; Female ; Breast Neoplasms/surgery* ; China ; Perioperative Care/methods* ; Breast Implants ; Mammaplasty/methods* ; Breast Implantation/methods* ; Postoperative Complications/prevention & control* ; Quality of Life ; Mastectomy

Objective    To explore the surgical technique and clinical effect of endoscopic assisted transaxillary breast tumor resection in the treatment of benign and malignant breast tumors. Methods    The clinical data of 18 patients received endoscopic breast tumor resection from September 2020 to December 2021 in the Department of Breast Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate the feasibility, tumor safety and postoperative cosmetic effect. There were 7 patients with benign breast tumors (a benign breast tumor group) and 11 patients with early breast cancer (a malignant breast tumor group). Breast-Q and Scar-Q questionnaires were used to evaluate postoperative quality of life and satisfaction of patients. Results    Endoscopic breast tumor resection was performed successfully in 18 female patients, among whom 12 patients received day surgery. The mean age of benign and malignant breast tumor groups was 29.6±11.6 years and 46.7±14.3 years, the mean tumor size in pathological examination was 3.3±2.1 cm and 2.0±0.8 cm, and the operative time was 138.9±57.0 min and 177.3±46.3 min, respectively. One patient had positive resection margin and underwent intraoperative extended resection in the malignant breast tumor group. All the patients were successfully followed up, and the mean follow-up time of benign and malignant breast tumor groups was 6.8±4.0 months and 8.7±4.9 months, respectively. No complications or tumor recurrence occurred. The scores of psychosocial status, sexual well-being, chest wall status and breast satisfaction decreased one month after surgery and basically recovered to the preoperative level in one year, and the score of scar appearance increased to 64.6±5.9 points one year postoperatively. Conclusion    Endoscopic assisted transaxillary breast tumor resection can effectively improve postoperative cosmetic effect and patient satisfaction on the premise of safety.

Objective    To compare the differences of clinical effects between the bilateral endoscopic breast reconstruction and the open breast reconstruction. Methods    The clinical data of 28 female patients who underwent bilateral breast graft reconstruction in the Department of Breast Surgery of West China Hospital from January 2017 to January 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups: an endoscopic group (n=12, aged 41.3±8.9 years) and an open group (n=16, aged 41.6±8.8 years). The clinical data of the two groups of patients were compared. Results     There was no significant difference in demographic and oncological data between the two groups (P>0.05). There was a significant difference in the implants between the two groups (P=0.008). The operation time (298.2±108.6 min vs. 326.5±95.8 min, P=0.480) and anesthesia time (373.4±91.2 min vs. 400.3±97.1 min, P=0.463) were not significantly different. The total complications (P=0.035) and major complications (P=0.024) in the open group were more than those in the endoscopic group. For the comparison of breast satisfaction, psychosocial well-being and sexual well-being, the scores at six months and one year after surgery were higher in the endoscopic group than those in the open group (P<0.05). Conclusion    The endoscopic reconstruction is safe and effective, with high satisfaction rates regarding  breast reconstruction and quality of life, and is superior to conventional open surgery.

The traditional view is that breast reconstruction is not an option for day surgery center. As a result, few hospitals in the world conduct this operation in day surgery center. Endoscopic breast reconstruction with liposuction and robot-assisted breast reconstruction are minimally invasive surgeries for breast cancer patients, but they cannot be carried out in the day surgery center due to long operation time. The novel endoscopic-assisted immediate implant-based breast reconstruction after nipple sparing mastectomy through a single axillary incision for breast cancer patients has been successfully conducted in the day surgery center in our hospital due to short operation time and small trauma. Standardized management of the complete process from the patient selection to follow-up after discharge brings rapid recovery and few complications. At the same time, the development of endoscopic surgery makes the breast almost scarless and improves aesthetic results. Therefore, the mode of endoscopic-assisted reconstruction in the day surgery center of our hospital is expected to be popularized in the whole country.