[Guideline for the management path and quality control of breast cancer prevention and treatment in China's counties (2023 edition)].

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor among women in China. In 2016, there were about 306 000 new cases of breast cancer in Chinese females. Of these, about 33% (100 400) occurred in rural areas. County-level (counties or county-level cities) hospitals are the first diagnosis units for most rural breast cancer patients and play an important role in cancer prevention, screening, maintenance treatment, rehabilitation, follow-up, and referral. Due to economic and geographical constraints, county-level hospitals are relatively deficient in medical equipment, health human resources, and drug accessibility. There is an imperative need for breast cancer prevention and management guidelines that are suitable for the actual situation in China's counties. Therefore, under the policy background of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment, the Chinese expert group formulated the "Guideline for the management path and quality control of breast cancer prevention and treatment in China's counties (2023 edition)", aiming to expand the availability of quality medical resources and ensure they are better distributed among regions, enhance the capacity for breast cancer prevention and treatment, so as to improve the prognosis and quality of life of patients in China's counties. This guideline provides path diagrams which are concise, unambiguous and easy to translate into clinical practice, as reference for clinicians in county-level hospitals.