Breast Calcifications
What You Need to Know About Breast Calcifications
Millions of women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the United States alone. Many more millions of women have a breast cancer scare due to breast calcifications showing up in mammograms and self-examinations. These calcifications are frightening until the final results are known and it is determined whether or not they are cancerous or just calcifications.
When a lump is discovered in the breast area, either by the doctor or by self examination women need to make an appointment for a mammogram. More importantly they need to know that discovering a lump is not necessarily indicative of cancer. Many women have lumps that are nothing more than swollen lymph nodes or old injuries.
First, women need to understand that not all lumps in the breast area are going to be cancer. It is important that all lumps be examined by a doctor to rule out cancer but finding one should not make a woman automatically panic. Breast calcifications are lumps or deposits of calcium in the breast that appear on mammograms. There are two types of breast calcifications that can occur, macrocalcification and microcalcifications.
The process of diagnosing the calcification is dependent upon which type the doctor determines the calcification to be. Macrocalcifications can be the result of old injuries or even blocked mammary glands. They can also be the result of aging arteries in the breast. These types of calcifications are not usually cancer and doctors don’t typically biopsy them. Self –examinations will reveal the presence of macrocalcifications as these are larger deposits of calcium that become lump-like.
Microcalcifications on the other hand are small areas of calcium that care often found in the middle of cells that are dividing rapidly. This is commonly seen in cancer cells. As these cluster together, they can form masses that are cancerous. Doctors will biopsy these to determine if they are malignant or benign.
Microcalcifications are not detected by self-examinations due to their size. These are small areas that are only seen on a mammogram, which is what makes mammograms an important health tool for women. Most women will have some microcalcificatons on a mammogram at some point in their life; this does not mean that they have breast cancer. The vast majority of microcalcifications are benign and the doctor will monitor them to watch for growth. A simple biopsy will also help determine if there is a need for further treatment. If the biopsy proves to be benign the doctor will advise that another mammogram be performed in six months.
Breast self-examinations and mammograms as recommended by the doctor will help in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Understanding the different types of calcifications will help women understand their body and the various masses they might encounter.