Women who have made decisions to undergo. or not undergo, risk-reducing mastectomies, were interviewed alongside their surgeons. The original intention was to link the two interviews in the analysis. Ultimately, the interviews were considered to be more productively analysed separately, but linked analyses are provided in the data sets here. A Patient data list (ReadMeDataListPatients.txt) describes the files relevant to patient interviews and provides details of interviews. A clinician data list (ReadMeDataListClinicians.txt) presents interviews by clinicians. Where these interviews are linked to specific patients, this information is presented in the data list. The interview files themselves are uploaded as zip files (Patients.zip and Clinicians.zip). A description of the aims and the conduct of the research is included in the file StudyProtocolRRM.doc. This provides both a historic record of the intended background, aims and methodology and a description of how the methods changed during the conduct of the project. Patient and clinician interview schedules, developed before interviews commenced, are described in PatientInterviewGuide.doc and ClinicianInterviewGuide.doc respectively. Information sheets and consent forms for patients and clinicians are also included (PatientInformationSheet.doc, PatientConsentForm.doc, ClinicianInfoSheet.doc, ClinicianConsentForm.doc). Risk reducing mastectomy (RRM) is the removal of healthy breast tissue to prevent cancer. Risks of surgery need to be weighed against risk reduction benefits. Pilot research suggests that some women previously treated for breast cancer do not attempt to balance risks and benefits, but opt for RRM because they feel high levels of distress over the possibility of recurrence. Surgeons often assent to these requests for RRM. This study examines: - whether women’s preferences for surgery represent well-made decisions or not. - the clinical and ethical considerations that inform surgeons’ responses to these requests. Thirty qualitative interviews, linked to interviews with their responsible clinicians, will be conducted with women who have experienced cancer or have high familial risk of cancer. Women over the age of 16 will be recruited from breast cancer and clinical genetics centres. Analyses will focus on speech content, but interpretations will also note inconsistencies within interviews and with linked interviews to provide insights into unspoken views and motivations. Findings will be presented in the light of contemporary thought in bioethics and decision-making. In return, the conclusions that we reach will help shape literatures in bioethics and decision-making

Semi-structured interview