Abstract Rationale, aims and objectives Patient-centered care is considered as a vital component of good quality of care for breast cancer patients. Nevertheless, the implementation of this valuable theoretical concept into practice appears to be difficult. The goal of this study was to bridge the gap between the theoretical elaboration of ‘patient-centered care’ and clinical practice. For that purpose, the current application of the term ‘patient-centered care in breast cancer treatment’ was deduced from present-day literature. Method The methodology of a scoping review was employed. Results A notable lack of consistency in use of the term ‘patient-centered care’ is demonstrated in recent literature concerning breast cancer treatment. We also observe an unambiguous positive vision on this rather vague concept. Conclusions Contrary to previous efforts to define ‘patient-centered care’ more narrowly, we propose to embrace the heterogeneity of this concept and apply ‘patient-centered care’ as an umbrella-term for all healthcare that (intends to) contribute to the acknowledgement of the person in the patient. For the justification of measures to realize patient-centered care, we insist on the demonstration of desirable real-world effects, instead of a mere contribution to this abstract term.