The main treatment method for breast cancer is surgery, which is mainly divided into 2 major categories: traditional radical mastectomy and radical mastectomy with breast preservation. Traditional radical mastectomy cannot preserve the breast, and the absence of the affected breast after surgery not only causes physical pain, but also causes a long and deep psychological burden and inferiority complex, which has a series of serious consequences on the patient’s marriage, family, work and society, and also affects the psychology of the patient’s family members. The quality of life is seriously affected by these complications. Breast-conserving surgery, also known as breast-conserving surgery, is a minimally invasive and cosmetic procedure that takes into account the minimally invasive effect of tumor removal while ensuring the therapeutic effect. Breast-conserving surgery not only preserves the affected breast with good cosmetic effect, but also achieves a minimally invasive surgical effect with no restriction on the movement of the upper limbs after surgery, and has the advantages of fast recovery, few complications and high quality of life. Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is another milestone in breast surgery. Its purpose is to detect the metastasis of axillary lymph nodes through the detection of sentinel lymph nodes, so as to replace axillary lymph node dissection (i.e. axillary preservation) with sentinel lymph node biopsy in the treatment of early breast cancer, thus reducing the scope of axillary dissection and the incidence of upper limb lymphedema, and improving the quality of life of patients. Sentinel lymph node biopsy is a revolution in the history of surgical treatment of breast cancer. It reduces surgical complications, lowers medical costs, maximizes functional preservation and improves postoperative quality of life. Breast-conserving and axillary-conserving surgery is complemented by comprehensive treatment such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy and endocrine therapy, which is the same as radical mastectomy. According to international authoritative data, the local recurrence rate, 5, 10 and 20-year survival rates after breast-conserving surgery are not significantly different from those of radical mastectomy. In the 21st century, evidence from evidence-based medicine shows that breast-conserving surgery and axillary preservation will become the ideal mode of surgical treatment for breast cancer, focusing on the preservation of the patient’s life and improving the quality of survival while eradicating the tumor. Breast-conserving surgery is currently recognized internationally as the gold standard for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer and is the most desirable surgical procedure for the treatment of breast cancer, a major development in the treatment of breast cancer and a major shift in the concept of treatment. The choice of surgery should be personalized and humanized. Not every patient is suitable for breast and axillary conserving surgery, and the specialist should weigh the pros and cons comprehensively to choose the appropriate surgery for the patient. At present, Dr. Sun Shuming, director of the Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery and supervisor of master’s degree, took the lead in carrying out breast-conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy in the eastern part of Guangdong Province in 2005, and has completed more than 100 cases and achieved good results so far, which are well received by patients and their families.