Breast Surgery

The Breast Disease Center of Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine was established in 1985 and is one of the earliest breast disease specialties established in China. After 40 years of development, it has become a key specialty of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; the leading institution of the National Mastitis Collaborative Group; the institution responsible for developing the National Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Mastitis in Traditional Chinese Medicine and the corresponding clinical pathway; the institution leading the revision of the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Ruli in Traditional Chinese Medicine; and a national drug clinical research base. It is also a key discipline of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Zhejiang Province, a key specialty of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Zhejiang Province, a top-priority discipline of universities in Zhejiang Province, the leading institution of the Zhejiang Traditional Chinese Medicine Breast Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Alliance, the leading institution of the subcenter of the provincial support platform for the multidisciplinary comprehensive diagnosis and treatment network for breast cancer, a training base for standardized diagnosis and treatment of breast diseases and minimally invasive vacuum-assisted rotary excision surgery, the first external treatment center for breast diseases in Traditional Chinese Medicine in the province, and a diagnosis and treatment center for inflammatory breast diseases.

The Center currently has 93 beds across its Hubin, Qiantang, and Xixi campuses and 30 physicians, including 1 instructor for the academic experience inheritance program of nationally renowned senior Traditional Chinese Medicine experts, 1 provincial National Medical Master, 1 provincial-level renowned Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, 1 Qihuang Scholar, 3 doctoral supervisors, 8 master’s supervisors, 7 chief physicians, 7 deputy chief physicians, and 17 physicians with doctoral degrees. It is equipped with nationally first-class specialized equipment, including a superconducting breast magnetic resonance imaging system, an intelligent high-frequency mammography system, an intraoperative specimen photography system, a vacuum-assisted minimally invasive rotary excision system, a breast fiberoptic duct endoscope, and high-frequency color Doppler ultrasound systems. It is a nationally first-class clinical, research, and education base for breast diseases, with strong overall capabilities in integrated Traditional Chinese and Western medicine and distinctive characteristics and advantages in Traditional Chinese medicine, enjoying a high level of recognition and influence nationwide.

Technical Advantages

The Center’s diagnosis and treatment are guided by the academic principles of “diagnosing disease through the Four Differentiations, strengthening healthy qi to combat cancer, warming and unblocking to treat mastitis, and regulating the Three Mechanisms to control hyperplasia,” and have resulted in the development of three major groups of advantageous diseases: malignant breast tumors, inflammatory breast diseases, and mammary hyperplasia. The Center has a very high detection rate for early-stage and occult breast cancer and performs modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer through open or endoscopic approaches, breast-conserving reconstruction, breast reconstruction, and dual-tracer sentinel lymph node biopsy. It pioneered the “warming and unblocking method” for the treatment of inflammatory breast diseases and specializes in non-surgical breast-conserving treatment for various inflammatory breast diseases and other difficult and complex conditions, including lactational mastitis, plasma cell mastitis, granulomatous mastitis, postoperative breast infection, and complications following breast augmentation. Each year, it performs a large number of vacuum-assisted minimally invasive rotary excisions of breast masses, mammography-guided excisions of breast calcifications, ductoscopic examinations, and endoscopic treatment of intraductal diseases. The “Breast 1–9” series of disease-specific prescriptions and the in-house preparation Compound Xianlingpi Xiaozheng Granules developed by the Center have demonstrated significant efficacy and are now widely used in medical alliances throughout the province.

Academic Standing

It is a doctoral program in the specialty of Surgery of Traditional Chinese Medicine and master’s programs in Surgery of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Clinical Medicine, and Surgery at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. It is also an institution serving as Honorary Deputy Chair of the Breast Disease Branch of the China Association of Chinese Medicine; Deputy Chair of the Breast Disease Professional Committee of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies; Honorary Chair of the Surgical Branch of the Zhejiang Association of Chinese Medicine; Chair of the Breast Disease Branch of the Zhejiang Association of Chinese Medicine; Deputy Chair of the Breast Disease Branch of the Zhejiang Association of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine; Deputy Chair of the Breast Cancer Professional Committee of the Zhejiang Anti-Cancer Association; Deputy Chair of the Integrated Oncology Professional Committee of the Zhejiang Anti-Cancer Association; Deputy Chair of the Breast Tumor Diagnosis and Treatment Professional Committee of the Zhejiang Society of Mathematical and Medical Sciences; Deputy Chair of the Breast Professional Committee of the Zhejiang Minimally Invasive Surgery Alliance; and Deputy Chair of the Zhejiang Branch of the Breast Disease Professional Committee of the China Medical Education Association.

Research Achievements

Over the past five years, the Center has led more than 40 national-, provincial- and ministerial-level, and department- and bureau-level projects, and has published more than 100 papers in domestic and international academic journals, including 42 SCI papers. It has served as chief editor or contributing editor of 10 monographs and holds 10 national patents. It has received 2 second prizes of the Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award, 3 first prizes of the Provincial Science and Technology Award for Traditional Chinese Medicine, 5 third prizes of the Provincial Science and Technology Award for Traditional Chinese Medicine, and 1 third prize of the Provincial Natural Science Progress Award (book category). It has trained 7 doctoral students and more than 50 master’s students.