Breast cancer patients suffer more than just the loss of part of their body.

The quality of their life is also eaten away, as well as their confidence in themselves as women.

A China Daily report on Wednesday said that before the 1980s, mastectomy, the surgical removal of one or both breasts, was the only treatment available for breast cancer patients in China. But the situation is changing.

"China has made huge progress in the field, and the taking of comprehensive treatments is being accepted by more and more women," said Song Santai, a professor and breast cancer expert at the Beijing-based Academy of Military Medical Sciences.

According to Song, surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormonal therapy are now recognized as four major and effective treatments for breast cancer in China.

At present, breast cancer experts are trying gene therapy as a new method to treat breast cancer. In order to fix the defective genes in breast cancer patients, the doctors deliver the therapeutic DNA molecules or genes directly to the tumours, where they can reduce the cancer's growth and inhibit metastasis (the spread of the disease to other parts of the body).

According to Jiang Zefei, a breast cancer expert at the same academy and at the Beijing-based No 307 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, an affiliate of the academy, gene therapy has benefited at least 50 breast cancer patients so far.

Since 1998, gene therapy has become a rather mature clinical option for Chinese doctors. "Its advantage lies in its unexpected curative effect on treating breast cancer patients who do not respond to the traditional therapies. When combined with other treatments, it can significantly increase the general curative effect," said Dr Jiang.

Jiang said another advance that Chinese breast cancer experts have made in the field is the practice of treating each breast cancer patient with the methods and drugs most suited to her particular condition and situation.

"With abundant choices in drugs and examining facilities, what we do now is choose the most suitable treatment at the most appropriate time for each individual," he said.

At No 307 Hospital which established a specialized breast cancer department in the early 1980s, the patients, after appropriate treatment, will at least enjoy a stable remission, Jiang said.

At present, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are commonly used in treating breast cancer patients, along with the wide-spread availability of related facilities and drugs. However, treatments that can reduce the suffering of patients and improve their quality of life, such as breast conservation treatment and hormonal therapy, still await wider acceptance.

Jiang said the percentage of patients who choose breast conservation treatment in the Chinese mainland is estimated to be less than 10 per cent at present. But in the United States, the figure is 70 to 80 per cent.

Even among patients in the early stages of breast cancer whose tumours are small and suitable for breast conservation treatment, many reject it.

Data from No 307 Hospital shows that only 5 per cent of 500 breast cancer patients in the very early stages of the disease chose breast conservation treatment, even though the hospital has been in a position to provide such treatment since the 1980s.

Jiang blamed the rejection on misconceptions about the treatment and delays in diagnosis.

"Many people wrongly believe that mastectomy, which requires the removal of the entire breast, is a more dependable form of treatment with a higher success rate," he said.

But, in fact, breast conservation treatment has been proven to be as safe and effective as mastectomy, he explained.

On the other hand, most breast cancer patients have already entered the advanced stage when they go to hospital.

Cancers that have progressed to this level cannot be treated using the breast conservation method, the doctor said.

Hormonal therapy is another effective treatment that many patients refuse because of misconceptions.

The therapy deprives cancer cells of the female hormone estrogen, which some breast cancer cells need to grow.

Statistics reveal that medical expenses for hormonal therapy in the Chinese mainland account for only 4 per cent of the total for all forms of therapy.

"Most patients believe that chemotherapy which causes the loss of hair and unbearable vomit can effectively get rid of the cancerous cells. But they do not trust hormonal treatment, which has fewer side-effects and requires the patient to take only one pill per day," said Song Santai.

"Hormonal treatment may take a much longer period of time than chemotherapy, but cost considerably less than the more favoured treatment," Jiang added.

Since the early '80s, the percentage of breast cancer cases diagnosed in the early stages has increased to about 50 per cent from the original 30 per cent. Early diagnosis means better cure rates and less chance of future relapses.

However, Jiang Zefei still believes that the percentage could go much higher, considering that in the United States, 85 per cent of breast tumours are discovered in the early stages.

In China, the incidence rate for breast cancer is increasing at a rate of 2 to 3 per cent annually.

Experts blamed the increase on more Westernized living habits among Chinese women, such as higher fat intakes and less breast feeding.