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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffBreast calcifications are calcium deposits within breast tissue. They appear as white spots or flecks on a mammogram and are usually so small that you can't feel them.
Breast calcifications can be seen on mammograms performed in most women and are especially prevalent after menopause. Although breast calcifications are usually noncancerous (benign), certain patterns of calcifications — such as tight clusters with irregular shapes — may indicate breast cancer.
On a mammogram, breast calcifications can appear as large white dots or dashes (macrocalcifications) or fine, white specks, similar to grains of salt (microcalcifications). Macrocalcifications are almost always noncancerous and require no further testing or follow-up. Microcalcifications are usually noncancerous, but certain patterns can be a sign of cancer. If calcifications are suspicious, further testing may be necessary, including additional mammograms with magnification views or a breast biopsy.
- Abeloff MD, et al. Cancer of the breast. In: Abeloff MD, et al. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/205294782-4/0/1709/129.html?tocnode=55018564&fromURL=129.html. Accessed June 11, 2010.
- What mammograms show. Breastcancer.org. http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/types/mammograms/mamm_show.jsp. Accessed June 11, 2010.
- Non-cancerous breast conditions. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6X_Non_Cancerous_Breast_Conditions_59.asp. Accessed June 11, 2010.
- Esserman LJ, et al. Diagnostic evaluation of women with suspected breast cancer. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 14, 2010.
- James JJ, et al. The breast. In: Adam A, et al. Grainger & Allison's Diagnostic Radiology: A Textbook of Medical Imaging. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/205662793-2/0/1611/56.html?tocnode=54446922&fromURL=56.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-10163-2..50055-5_2885. Accessed June 14, 2010.
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