Breast calcifications are calcium deposits inside breast tissue. They emerge as white spots or flecks on a mammogram and are typically so small that you couldn’t feel them.

Breast calcifications are widespread in all women and are even more common after menopause. Though breast calcifications are typically noncancerous (benign), particular patterns of calcifications – like tight clusters with irregular shapes – might point to breast cancer.

The two major kinds of breast calcifications are:

- Macrocalcifications. They come out as large white dots or dashes on a mammogram. Macrocalcifications are nearly always noncancerous and need no additional follow-up.
- Microcalcifications. They come out as extremely fine white specks on a mammogram. Microcalcifications are typically noncancerous but could sometimes be a sign of cancer.

Where and How Often Do Calcifications come out?

- macrocalcifications show up in roughly 50 percent of women over 50, and 10 percent of women under 50 years of age
- macrocalcifications are typically not troublesome and won’t need a biopsy
- 80 percent of microcalcifications are benign
- microcalcifications could assist identify ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)

A microcalcification is an increase of calcium in one spot. They are widespread and most women will have a few on their mammogram at some point in time. The majority of them are benign. A good number of women do worry regarding them, though – maybe since they haven’t been given a complete clarification of what they are.

When should you worry? First, don’t be frightened if you have microcalcifications since the majority women DO have them at some point. The doctor will take a look to observe if they warrant additional examination.

This typically happens when the microcalcifications are new, clustered firmly together, and comes out when magnified to have unusual forms. Rather than spherical, they look similar to grains of salt with irregular edges. This could be an early sign of breast cancer, most frequently non-invasive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS or stage 0 breast cancer).

Microcalcifications couldn’t be experienced on clinical exam or your own breast self-exam. They do not harm. This is the value of mammography – it finds them long prior to they could move forward into an actual lump.

Most of the time, suspicious microcalcifications will be biopsied by means of a stereotactic method that enables the doctor to pin down their location and take away a sample consequently it could be examined by a pathologist. The intention of removing tissue by means of this method is not to get rid of all of the microcalcifications but to obtain a representative sampling accordingly a diagnosis could be completed.

By: MC Ezzia

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samuelle50 asked:


It is not in the bones, has 6 of 9 lymph nodes involved and one lobular node. Doctor first prescribed antibiotics, then she got biopsy, partial breast removal, now they finally figured out she has IBC. I hope you are doing well.

A rare but very aggressive type of cancer is Inflammatory breast cancer. The mortality rate for it is higher than that for most other cancers. Contrary to its name, it doesn’t occur because of some inflammation; rather, inflammation is just a symptom in IBC. It is not confined to older women and can develop in very young women, too. Men are not totally protected from IBC, even though their risk is too low.

There are lymph vessels in the breasts. When a person develops IBC, the malignant cancerous cells block these vessels. IBC develops in women at a younger age, compared to other forms of breast cancer. Some studies also suggest that White people are less likely to develop this cancer than the African Americans, who are also said to be vulnerable at a younger age.

The progression of IBC is its most alarming feature. The time lapse between the first symptom appearing and the cancer reaching a very advanced stage may be leek than two weeks. This however, may be one of the reasons for early diagnosis of IBC, since the symptoms are very apparent early on due to the cancer’s fast advancement.

The unique characteristic of Inflammatory breast cancer is that no lump formation is associated with it. This characteristic makes it all the more dangerous, because mammography and ultrasound can not detect it, and it often goes undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed. Biopsy is the best method for diagnosing IBC.

Typical symptoms for it are extreme reddish to purple-ish, bruised appearance of the breasts, tenderness and immense swelling, which accounts for its inflamed appearance. The skin around the breasts may be rough and uneven, the nipples may get inverted, there might be persistent itching and heaviness accompanied with burning aching sensations. Usual symptoms like change in color and texture of areola and breasts are present, too. You might also have swellings under your arm and above and below your collarbone, which you should never ignore.

The most common misdiagnosis of this is mastitis. Mastitis is just a breast infection that shows the same symptoms like redness and swelling, as IBC. After a week or two of treatment for mastitis, your symptoms should start disappearing; otherwise, it’s not mastitis. Lymph vessels can get blocked because of other reasons than cancer, too, such as operations on the chest. This is not any type of cancer. The best way of making sure is getting a biopsy done.

Due to tremendous number of researches going into the field, Inflammatory breast cancer can be cured in almost fifty five out of every hundred IBC cases. What used to be a certain death two decades back is curable today! Today, the treatment for IBC is very extensive, although it gives a lot to hope for. Systemic therapies like chemotherapy and hormone treatments are backed up by surgeries like mastectomy and then by radiation therapy, to eliminate chances of a recurrence, and the treatment is done!

Yes, there is still a high mortality rate for Inflammatory breast cancer, but do not let that bring you down. You should keep in mind technology has bettered, and is still improving, and that there are people who love you. You will live as normally as you want to.

By: Roselyn Capen

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Aristes asked:


My mom’s going to have a mammogram done soon and what I assume will be a biopsy.
If it turns out to be breast cancer, should I take extra precautions since I will have had confirmed family history?

Just curious.
I’m 18 and my mom’s 46. I’m not sure about how often mammograms are necessary, honestly. My mom’s had one since I was little and I thought that was normal, just to have one.

lorettalynn8762 asked:


My aunt has recently found a lump in her breast, and she went to her doctor and they said that she needs to do a biopsy immediately! My aunt doesnt like to go to doctors for anything at all, let alone this. Well, she heard of “another” way of finding out what it is without doing the biopsy. Has anyone heard of “another” way of finding out, and is it truthful? We all feel that the “other doctor” is just trying to take her money! Please help as her appt is tomorrow for this “other way”! Thank you so much.

Silvia.D. asked:


I have a family history of breast cancer and would like to know if this is bad? I have to go for a biopsy on 1/13/09 and am very concerned.