Charity exhibition promotes breast-conserving surgery
An immersive art exhibition to showcase the treatment and recovery process of breast cancer patients has kicked off at the Shanghai Baopu Art Museum. The aim is to enhance public awareness about breast health and breast-conserving surgery for patients looking for both physical and psychological cure and a better life quality.
The 2021 Run for Her Family charity exhibition hopes to promote China's first breast-conserving program during the global Pink Ribbon monthlong event as well as boost knowledge and public awareness about breast cancer.
A total of 416,000 cases of breast cancer were reported in China last year with an incidence of 39.1 in every 100,000 people, making the disease the top female cancer in the nation. The five-year survival rate for Chinese patients is 83.2 percent, close to the 90 percent in the West and developed Asian countries like Japan.
With the development of medical technology, breast-conserving surgery is widely conducted in the West, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of all breast cancer surgeries. In China, the proportion is less than 20 percent, local experts said.
Breast removal can cause strong physical and mental trauma for women. But over 88 percent of Chinese women still undergo breast removal surgery, due to imbalanced medical capability in different regions, a poor understanding about breast-conserving technology and relapse worries. These also influence the improvement of breast-conserving technology, they added.
Dr Wu Jiong, vice president of Shanghai Cancer Center, said the breast-conserving program initiated by the China Anti-Cancer Association's breast cancer branch is aimed at encouraging public acceptance of breast conservation.
"Compared with breast removal, breast-conserving surgery has a significantly less impact on patients' future life, image, self-esteem and sex life. The relapse rate between those with total breast removal and breast-conserving surgery is the same," he said.
"Breast-conserving surgery is a recommended therapy for patients in early- and middle-stage cancer after careful evaluation. With a high survival rate, breast cancer has become a chronic disease. So we want to not only treat patients but also improve their life quality," Wu added.
Dr Wu Jiong, vice president of Shanghai Cancer Center, talks about breast-conserving surgery at the 2021 Run for Her Family charity program on breast cancer in Shanghai.
