Breast calcifications are deposits of calcium that commonly appear in women's breast tissue. They range in size from tiny grains to larger coarse deposits, but even the largest calcifications cannot be felt by hand. In the vast majority of cases, breast calcifications are completely harmless and require no cure or treatment. However, for a small number of individuals, calcifications are an early sign of the onset of breast cancer.
Understanding Breast Calcifications
You will not know if you have breast calcifications unless you receive a mammogram. It is important to realize that calcifications are a common mammogram finding, and there is typically no cause for alarm if your doctor detects them. Common causes for calcium deposits include mastitis, direct breast injury or implantation surgery, prior radiation treatments, debris or secretions from cells within the breast and advancing age.
Identifying Large Calcifications
Once calcifications are diagnosed, your radiologist, or X-ray imaging specialist, will need to learn more about them. Large deposits--known as macrocalcifications--are generally harmless, and if these are found you will receive no further care beyond follow-up comparisons of your X-rays during your regularly scheduled mammograms.
Identifying Small Calcifications
Smaller deposits--known as microcalcifications--are also typically harmless, or benign. However, it is this form of calcium deposit that is most likely to indicate the onset of cancer. After determining that microcalcifications are present, your radiologist will examine them further to map their exact size, shape and distribution in your breast tissue. By comparing these results to known factors in cancer development (malignancy), he will then place your calcifications in one of three categories.
"Benign calcifications" pose no risk of developing into cancer. "Probably benign" calcifications present a risk of cancer development that is less than 2 percent. "Suspicious calcifications" show a greater probability of malignancy.
Follow-up Examinations and Treatment
If probably benign calcifications are found, you will need to return in six months for a follow-up mammogram. If your second exam shows no developing problems, and you are less than 40 years old, you typically can return to regular yearly exams. If you have normal findings and are over 40, you will need to have one more mammogram in six months, accompanied by an exam of your other breast. If these findings also show no changes, you can return to regular yearly exams as well.
In cases where suspicious calcifications are found, you will need to undergo a procedure known as a biopsy, which involves taking small tissue samples from your breast for further examination. Your biopsy may be performed as either a surgical procedure, or as a minimally invasive needle biopsy requiring only local anesthetic. The appropriate form of procedure will depend on the appearance and location of your calcifications, as well as on the size of your breast. The results of your biopsy will reveal any cancer that might be present.
If cancer is found, it is important to understand that it will likely be in its earliest stages, and therefore very treatable. Consult your oncologist (cancer specialist) to learn the details of appropriate breast cancer treatment.
Tags: will need, found will, your breast, benign calcifications, breast cancer
