Breast calcifications

Free

E-Newsletters

Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics. About our newsletters

  • Housecall
  • Alzheimer's caregiving
  • Living with cancer

When to see a doctor

By Mayo Clinic staff

Your doctor may recommend additional testing if the calcification:

  • Is clustered rather than scattered throughout the breast
  • Varies in size and shape from other calcifications, also known as pleomorphic calcifications

Testing may include additional mammograms with magnification views of the calcification, as well as ultrasound imaging or biopsy. The radiologist also will likely request any prior mammogram images you have had to compare and determine if the calcifications are new or have changed in number or pattern. Some women are instructed to return for short-term follow up in about six months to have another mammogram that checks for any changes to appearance of the breast calcifications.

References
  1. 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.
  2. What mammograms show. Breastcancer.org. http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/types/mammograms/mamm_show.jsp. Accessed June 11, 2010.
  3. 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.
  4. Esserman LJ, et al. Diagnostic evaluation of women with suspected breast cancer. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 14, 2010.
  5. 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.
MY00101 Aug. 13, 2010

© 1998-2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Print Share Reprints

Advertisement


Text Size: smaller largerlarger