Author Andrea Farkas Patenaude, a clinical psychologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has spent much time talking with women who decided to have risk-reducing or prophylactic mastectomy rather than undergo a lifetime of repeated screenings--a strategy that can help to detect cancers early, but cannot prevent breast cancer. In "Prophylactic Mastectomy: Insights from Women Who Chose to Reduce Their Risk," Patenaude shares many candid stories from these women and documents the risks and benefits of this decision.

The potential emotional trauma and lifelong effects on self-concept,...