Breast Center

Peking University People’s Hospital Breast Center (PKUPHBC) was established with the mission of breast disease prevention and treatment in August 1992. It is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary breast care program, offering a full spectrum of clinical and support services, from consultation, screening, and diagnosis to treatment, research, and medical education for undergraduate/graduate students, trainees, professionals, and the public. PKUPHBC is the premier comprehensive breast center among Chinese medical universities.

As a department of the renowned Peking University People’s Hospital, the Breast Center stands at the forefront of breast cancer treatment in China. The center's state-of-the-art technology and highly skilled medical professionals are nationally recognized. It has 16 breast disease experts, including six professors and four associate professors. PKUPHBC serves more than 50,000 outpatients and 3,300 inpatients (including breast cancer patients) every year with 52 hospital beds. The diagnostic rate of early breast cancer here is much higher than the average of other hospitals in Beijing. Meanwhile, PKUPHBC provides services including surgical and systemic treatment (chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, and molecular targeted therapy) as well as breast reconstruction. We have:

(1) Leading screening techniques, including mammography, ultrasound, breast MRI, and stereotactic breast biopsy;

(2) A full range of medical and surgical treatment options for breast cancer provided by a team of experienced oncologists;

(3) Timely diagnosis and treatment, including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and hormone therapy;

(4) Consultation for cosmetic surgery/post-treatment rehabilitation/support groups.

PKUPHBC is equipped with modern breast diagnosis facilities, such as full-field digital mammography, color Doppler ultrasound machines, fiberoptic ductoscopy, and a minimally invasive biopsy system. All the breast imaging and interventional diagnostic procedures are performed by our own team members, greatly improving diagnostic accuracy. In 2012, the Mammotome Biopsy System was introduced at the breast center. Breast biopsy can be performed in an outpatient setting under local anesthesia within half an hour. Physicians can collect tissue samples through one small 1/4-inch incision under ultrasound guidance. A lump may be completely removed/reduced during the biopsy procedure, without the need for open resection.

The breast center was the first to perform stereotactic localization in China. When an area containing microcalcification cannot be felt by examination/seen by ultrasound, physicians use digital mammography from two different angles to identify the abnormality. They can then pinpoint the exact location of the lesion, precisely place the biopsy needle in the area, and retrieve a tissue sample from the breast.

PKUPHBC pioneered the concept of “breast-sparing” surgery more than 20 years ago. The rate of breast-conserving surgery is approximately 45% now. In 2011, PKUPHBC was the first in China to use indocyanine green fluorescence imaging to detect sentinel lymph nodes. Currently, the rate of sentinel lymph node biopsy is 70% at the breast center, 80% of which are pathologically negative. Patients with early breast cancer can avoid unnecessary mastectomy/axillary lymph node dissection and benefit greatly in terms of quality of life. For women who need to undergo mastectomy, breast reconstruction offers a renewed sense of completeness. Since 1987, the breast center has performed immediate/delayed breast reconstruction after mastectomy using prosthetic materials (implants)/autologous tissue (the latissimus dorsi muscle flap/the TRAM flap), which can reduce patients’ feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and social anxiety.

PKUPHBC offers comprehensive general surgery training for residents/undergraduate students/interns at Peking University People’s Hospital. In 2011, PKUPHBC was recognized as a national training base for the diagnosis and treatment of early breast cancer by the Wu Jieping Medical Foundation and has since held large training courses annually. To date, more than 100 graduates and fellow doctors who trained at PKUPHBC have spread across the country, with most becoming core members of their respective departments.

PKUPHBC has initiated and participated in numerous multi-center clinical research projects since the 1990s to continuously improve standards of diagnosis and treatment, including the country's10th Five-Year Plan, the National Natural Science Foundation of China Project, and the Beijing Science and Technology Commission Funded Project. Physicians from PKUPHBC frequently participate in domestic/international academic conferences as speakers/presidents/guests. Meanwhile, physicians have visited world-class breast centers and research laboratories and brought back advanced technology and innovative research ideas.

Due to great progress in the early diagnosis and comprehensive treatment of breast cancer in recent years, PKUPHBC was certified as a specialty and awarded the honor of excellence by the Chinese government in 2012.

Since its establishment in 1992, PKUPHBC has regularly conducted free breast cancer screening in rural areas, thus earning a good reputation around Beijing. In addition, many news media institutions have widely reported the achievements of the breast center over the past 25 years, thereby attracting the attention of the entire society.

Trust the team of Peking University People’s Hospital Breast Center for a unique approach to preventing/detecting/treating breast cancer. PKUPHBC insists that every patient should receive tailored/standardized/systemic/humanized treatment. Patients here will receive all-in-one services including surgery/chemotherapy/follow-up.