Breast cancer is a common malignant tumor in women, and its incidence is gradually increasing in China. Treatment of breast cancer should be based on a comprehensive approach including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endocrine therapy and molecular biologic targeted therapy, among which surgery occupies an important position in these treatments. The classic surgical approach to breast cancer treatment is to remove the entire breast, chest muscles and fatty lymphatic tissue of the axilla on the affected side of the patient. This “radical” surgery has saved and prolonged the lives of many patients, but it has also left patients with physical disabilities, dysfunction and trauma. With the advancement of medical science, the treatment of breast cancer has also made great progress. The principle of surgery is to ensure complete surgery while preserving the breast and reducing physical dysfunction. Can efficacy be guaranteed without mastectomy for breast cancer patients? A number of prospective randomized controlled studies in China and abroad have demonstrated that reasonable breast-conserving surgery has exactly the same impact on patient survival compared to mastectomy, and the significance of breast preservation for women’s physical and mental health cannot be overstated. Of course, the implementation of breast preservation surgery follows certain principles, and standardized comprehensive treatment is even more important.