Breast calcifications

Definition

Breast calcifications are a buildup of calcium salts within breast tissue. They are common on mammograms. They appear as white spots or flecks on a mammogram.

Breast calcifications most often are not cancer, called benign. More commonly calcifications are associated with a benign breast condition known as fibrocystic breast changes. But certain patterns of calcifications, such as tight clusters with irregular shapes, may be a sign of breast cancer. Or they may be changes to breast tissue that happen before cancer starts, called precancerous.

On a mammogram, breast calcifications can appear as macrocalcifications or microcalcifications.

• Macrocalcifications. These show up as large white dots or dashes. They're most often not cancer. They need no further testing or follow-up.
• Microcalcifications. These show up as fine, white specks, like grains of salt. Certain patterns can be an early sign of cancer.

If you have a mammogram in which breast calcifications might be cancer, you need another mammogram. This one will show closer views to get a better look at the calcifications. If the second mammogram still might be cancer, your healthcare professional may suggest a breast biopsy to be sure.

If the calcifications don't seem to be cancer, your healthcare professional may suggest going back to your yearly screening. Or you might return in six months for a follow-up to make sure the calcifications aren't changing.

Causes

Sometimes calcifications mean breast cancer. But most calcifications result from conditions that aren't cancer, called benign.

Possible causes of breast calcifications include:

• Breast cancer
• Breast cysts
• Cell secretions or debris.
• Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
• Fibroadenoma
• Fibrocystic breast changes, also called milk of calcium.
• Mammary duct ectasia
• Injury or surgery to the breast, called fat necrosis.
• Radiation therapy for cancer.
• Skin calcification, called dermal calcification, or blood vessel calcification, called vascular calcification.

Products such as deodorants, creams or powders may have materials that look like calcifications on a mammogram. These materials make it harder to tell whether the calcifications are due to cancer or not. Because of this, don't use any products on your skin before a mammogram.

When to see a doctor

If a radiologist suspects that your breast calcifications are a result of precancerous changes or breast cancer, you may need another mammogram. The second mammogram has blown-up views to get a closer look at the calcifications, known as magnification views. Or the radiologist may suggest a breast biopsy to test a sample of breast tissue.

The radiologist may ask you for images from mammograms you had in the past. The radiologist compares the new images to the old images to see if calcifications are new or have changed in number or pattern.

If breast calcifications seem to be caused by a benign condition, the radiologist may suggest a six-month follow-up for another mammogram with closer views. The radiologist checks the images for changes in the shape, size and number of calcifications.