Onkológia 1/2013

Breast calcifications

Breast calcifications are tiny calcium deposits, that can occur anywhere in the breast tissue, including skin and intesticial strome. They are small enough that patient doesn´t feel them. Calcifications ussually develop naturally as the breast tissue ages. They can also form if patient have had infection in or injury to he breast, if patient have had stitches or breast implant, influence of active cell secretion, radiation or as result of a benign condition (for example, fibroadenoma). Breast calcifications are very common and in most of cases harmless and they are found on about half of all mammograms. However, sometimes calcifications can be an early sign of breast cancer, and because of this a doctor have to do futher tests to check, what sort of calcifications are there.

Keywords: calcifications, ductal carcinoma in situ, terminal ductal lobular unit, mammographia, Breast Imaging Reportin and Data System (BIRADS).