1. History

Established in 2011.

2. Honors & Accreditations

Founding Unit, Breast Disease Professional Committee, Shenzhen Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Lead Unit, Thyroid and Breast Specialty Group, Shenzhen TCM Surgery Quality Control Center

Core Member, Lingnan Breast Disease Integrated TCM–Western Medicine Alliance

Core Member, Shenzhen–Dongguan–Huizhou Breast Specialist Alliance

Member, Shenzhen Thyroid Disease Prevention and Treatment Alliance

Member, Shenzhen Breast Tumor Plastic Surgery and Reconstruction Alliance

3. Leadership

Professor Han Bingsheng served as the founding administrative director, laying the groundwork for the department's development. Since 2015, Professor Li Zhixin has led the department, driving its academic and clinical expansion.

4. Clinical Focus

We specialize in the integrated TCM–Western diagnosis, treatment, research, and education of:

Benign and malignant breast tumors

Benign and malignant thyroid tumors

Benign breast hyperplastic diseases

Breast inflammatory diseases

5. Operations & Capacity

6. Specialty Clinics

We operate dedicated clinics for:

Thyroid nodules

Breast nodules

Breast cancer early screening

Mastalgia

Nipple discharge

Lactational mastitis

Granulomatous mastitis

Postoperative TCM rehabilitation for oncology patients

7. External Collaboration

To elevate clinical and research standards, we have partnered with the Department of Breast Surgery at Guilin Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine—a national key clinical discipline and the first center in China to achieve ESMO certification for breast cancer care.

8. Surgical Capabilities

Diagnostic & Minimally Invasive

Core needle and fine-needle aspiration biopsy (breast/thyroid)

Vacuum-assisted minimally invasive excision (breast)

Microwave and radiofrequency ablation (breast/thyroid)

Oncologic Breast Surgery

Breast-conserving oncoplastic surgery

Sentinel lymph node biopsy

Radical mastectomy with prosthetic or autologous reconstruction

Endoscopic breast-conserving and reconstructive procedures

Thyroid Surgery

Open radical thyroidectomy

Endoscopic radical thyroidectomy

Signature Innovation: Immediate Latissimus Dorsi Fat Flap Reconstruction

We were among the first in China to perform subcutaneous radical mastectomy with immediate latissimus dorsi fat flap breast reconstruction—achieving oncologic radicality while preserving aesthetic outcomes. >500 cases performed to date, representing a leading national volume.

9. TCM Integration & Research

Core Pathogenesis Theory

Professor Li Zhixin, drawing on 20 years of clinical experience, has articulated the central TCM pathogenesis of thyroid and breast disorders as "wood stagnation, earth dampness, and water cold" (木郁土湿水寒). Based on syndrome differentiation, he developed the core formula Jianpi Yishen Sanjie Decoction (健脾益肾散结汤) to regulate constitutional imbalances and prevent nodule formation.

10. Center of Excellence: Granulomatous Mastitis

This is our dominant specialty disease with a comprehensive multimodal protocol:

Pathology Leadership

Our hospital's Pathology Department issued the first national expert consensus on pathological diagnosis of granulomatous mastitis and established a national consultation platform for this condition.

11. Mission & Vision

"Equal emphasis on Chinese and Western medicine; treating symptoms and root causes alike; preserving health; restoring beauty."

中西并重，标本兼治，维护健康，塑造美丽

We are building a distinctive discipline that unites integrated TCM–Western medicine, minimally invasive surgery, and reconstructive plastic surgery to deliver comprehensive care for all benign and malignant thyroid and breast conditions.

Key revisions for international readability:

Department naming — Moved specialty descriptor to front: "Thyroid and Breast Surgery (Third Surgical Department)" rather than literal translation of "外三科" first.

Eliminated redundant "Department Honors" preamble — Converted 6 alliance memberships into clean bulleted list.

Leadership narrative tightened — "Pioneering" and "developmental contributions" translated into active, meaningful verbs (laying groundwork, driving expansion).

Surgical capabilities reorganized — Grouped by procedure category (diagnostic, oncologic breast, thyroid, signature innovation) rather than one long sentence.

Signature innovation highlighted — Separated the latissimus dorsi flap reconstruction into dedicated subsection with "among the first in China" and case volume, emphasizing competitive advantage.

TCM theory explained — "Wood stagnation, earth dampness, water cold" presented as Professor Li's original contribution with formula name, giving international readers context on how TCM pathogenesis maps to clinical practice.

Granulomatous mastitis as showcase — Created dedicated "Center of Excellence" section with treatment table, positioning this rare disease as the department's differentiated strength.

Mission statement elevated — Moved from closing paragraph to formatted vision block, pairing Chinese original with polished English for institutional identity.