The five-year period after breast cancer surgery is a high-risk period for recurrence, and the risk is especially high in the first one to two years after surgery. Once there is recurrence or metastasis of breast cancer, the difficulty of treatment will be increased, which is far more tricky than the first treatment modality, and is likely to directly threaten the patient’s life. Generally speaking, there are 3 forms of postoperative recurrence of breast cancer, mainly localized recurrence, contralateral recurrence and distant metastasis. Contralateral new recurrence refers to one side of the breast which is invaded by cancer cells, and breast cancer lesion occurs in the other side of the breast after resection; distant metastasis refers to breast cancer tumor cells transferring to other parts of the patient’s body such as bones, lungs, livers and other organs through blood, nerves, lymphatic system, etc. Usually, nearly 2/3 of the recurrences of breast cancer will cause metastasis of the breast cancer, and there are data indicating that if distant metastasis occurs after surgery for breast cancer, the survival rate of patients will be significantly reduced. There are data that if distant metastasis occurs after breast cancer surgery, the survival rate of patients will be significantly reduced. The 5-year survival rate of lung metastasis of breast cancer is only 12%, the 5-year survival rate of bone metastasis is 16%, and the 5-year survival rate of liver metastasis is almost zero. Therefore, it is suggested that patients with breast cancer should be actively rechecked and examined after surgery, so as to grasp the critical period of treatment in the first to third years after surgery. Another form of postoperative recurrence is localized recurrence, which is less malignant and involves only localized cancerous lesions, and there are more choices of treatment options. Five years after breast cancer surgery is the peak period of recurrence, in which a scientific attitude should be adopted to decide the treatment plan, and at the same time, family members should encourage, pacify and support the patient. Breast cancer patients can also take traditional Chinese medicine after surgical treatment, which can comprehensively reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence and metastasis and significantly prolong the survival of patients.