Although with the advancement of technology, the 5-year survival rate of early stage (stage I-II) breast cancer patients has reached over 90%, a significant number of patients still experience recurrence and metastasis. The recurrence of breast cancer is generally related to 3 factors related to the stage and pathobiological characteristics of breast cancer. First, the stage of breast cancer at the time of initial diagnosis determines the recurrence rate after surgery. The earlier the stage of breast cancer, the lower the recurrence rate after surgery, while the more advanced the stage, the higher the recurrence rate, therefore, early diagnosis and early treatment are very important! In addition, breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous group of malignant tumors with great variation in histomorphology, immunophenotype, biological behavior, and response to treatment. Some categories of breast cancer have a poor prognosis, high rates of local recurrence and distant metastasis. Associated Factors II Patients’ own physical condition, organ function, and psychological factors. Poor physical condition and other factors will increase the possibility of breast cancer recurrence, while psychological status is related to immunity, and excessive stress will cause physical weakness and reduced resistance. Related Factor 3 Irregular and incomplete treatment is also an important reason for cancer recurrence. Most of the breast cancer patients consulted have subclinical metastasis. Since some cancer cells that circulate away from the primary foci to distant places cannot be removed through surgery, so these patients, without comprehensive and effective systemic treatment after surgery, will hide these cancer cells and become the culprit of cancer metastasis and recurrence in the future. How to prevent the recurrence of breast cancer Scientific and standardized anti-cancer treatment is the most important for the recovery of the disease. After surgery, most breast cancer patients have to undergo a series of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endocrine therapy and targeted therapy, all of which have certain toxic side effects while bringing survival benefits. Many people refuse to receive follow-up treatments because of the fear of these toxic side effects, and some people even believe that these treatments will damage the body’s immune function and are not conducive to anti-tumor treatment. Just imagine, it is very difficult to eliminate breast cancer easily when dealing with such a strong opponent. The current traditional treatment methods are to kill the tumor at the expense of some normal cells. Therefore, the key and difficulty of conventional treatment lies in the balance of “give” and “get”, which not only kills tumor cells, but also enables normal cells to recover after treatment without causing permanent damage. Although the current conventional treatment method is not perfect, it is the one that has been verified by the most clinical practice cases. Treatments with high anti-cancer effects and low side effects are not a pipe dream, but many of them are still in the experimental stage and need more evidence before they can be brought to the clinic. As for the so-called “panacea” and “health and anti-cancer methods”, we cannot reject them all, but we can only be skeptical when they are not supported by more scientific evidence. Therefore: respect science and cherish life. Keeping a good state of mind, doing proper physical exercise and improving bad habits are also very beneficial to reduce the occurrence of recurrence and metastasis. In addition, diet regulation, quit smoking, alcohol and other bad habits, eat more green vegetables, legumes and fresh fruits, high protein foods such as lean meat, eggs and fresh milk are also indispensable. How long should we insist on regular review and lifelong follow-up after breast cancer surgery? A large amount of clinical data tells us that the prognosis varies greatly among breast cancer patients, and a few patients with early stage may also have problems in the near future, while some patients with advanced stage may also survive for quite a long time, even without any treatment. There is already a good deal of information on follow-up over 30 or 40 years, and all of this information indicates that although the overall prognosis of patients improves a lot after treatment, there are patients who recur from the immediate post-treatment period to decades later. Therefore, breast cancer patients should, in fact, adhere to lifelong follow-up and review. Breast cancer patients should be reviewed every 3 months within 2 years after surgery or treatment, 6 months within 3 to 5 years, and once a year from the 6th year.