Objective: To compare the clinical efficacies of conventional modified radical mastectomy (MRM) and endoscopic-assisted MRM (E-MRM) for breast cancer through evaluation of the patients’ postoperative health status that included the physical, psychological and social function. Methods: Seventy breast cancer patients undergoing either one of the two procedures during the same period were selected for investigation. Thirty patients with 15 cases each undergoing MRM or E-MRM were designated as short-term evaluation group, and 40 patients with 20 cases each undergoing MRM or E-MRM designated as long-term evaluation group. The health status of each patient was scored by using the self-rated health measurement scale revision 1.0 (SRHMS V1.0). Results: In short-term evaluation group (within 2 months after surgery), the scores for daily living and physical mobility function, and the aggregate score for physical health subscale in patients undergoing E-MRM were higher than those in patients undergoing MRM at one week after surgery (all P<0.05); the scores for daily living, physical mobility, positive emotion, social resource and contact function, and the aggregate score for social health subscale and SRHMS in patients undergoing E-MRM were higher than those in patients undergoing E-MRM two months after surgery (all P<0.05). In long-term evaluation group (more than two years after surgery), the scores for daily living, physical mobility, positive emotion, social resource and contact function, and the aggregate score for social health subscale and SRHMS in patients undergoing E-MRM were higher than those in patients undergoing E-MRM (all P<0.05). Conclusion: E-MRM has a distinct advantage in postoperative health recovery for breast cancer patients compared with the conventional MRM, so it is a rational and effective procedure for stage I to II breast cancer.