Preventive mastectomy is a controversial subject. Preventive mastectomy (also called prophylactic mastectomy) is surgery to remove one or both breasts of women who have strong risk factors for breast cancer but no evidence of the disease.

The surgery may involve removing the entire breast (total mastectomy) or removing just the breast tissue but not the skin and nipple (subcutaneous mastectomy). After either procedure, the patient may decide to have breast reconstruction - plastic surgery to...