Experts perform the first breast surgery in Chamdo city, Tibet autonomous region. [Photo/CQHCWC]

The ninth medical team to aid the Tibet autonomous region from Southwest China's Chongqing arrived at the people's hospital in the city of Chamdo on July 21 and successfully performed the city's first breast surgery.

An intraoperative frozen section biopsy and diagnosis was also performed during the surgery, marking the first time that such a technique has been used in the city.

Gao Han, an expert from the Chongqing Health Center for Women and Children (CQHCWC) and deputy director of the Breast and Thyroid Surgery Department, was a member of the team.

Due to undeveloped local treatment and diagnosis techniques, the patient originally planned to receive treatment in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, which is more than 1,000 km away. And the biopsy date was scheduled six months later, which resulted in both mental and economic stress.

The arrival of the medical team was a godsend for the patient.

During the surgery, medical workers from CQHCWC and the people's hospital of Chamdo cooperated to remove pathological tissue and performed rapid slices and special staining on specimens using rapid frozen section biopsy and diagnosis techniques.

Experts such as Cao Youde, director of the Pathology Department of the Pathology Research Center of Chongqing Medical University, carried out remote consultations and determined that the lesion was benign, reassuring the patient.

Moving forward, CQHCWC will promote the "internet + medical treatment" model in Chamdo, promote standardized breast cancer screening technologies, teach people about breast health, and provide local residents with faster, higher-quality, and more accurate breast disease diagnosis and treatment services, so as to improve the health of women and children in Tibetan areas.