Breast Calcifications: What is the Next Step?
Advanced Health Education Center
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On any given day, many women regularly visit breast imaging clinics for their routine mammograms, while others are scheduled for diagnostic mammograms, breast ultrasounds, or biopsy procedures. Depending on the findings, several patients might undergo both a diagnostic mammogram and a breast ultrasound.
Breast calcifications, commonly seen in many women, might necessitate a diagnostic mammogram to determine if these calcifications are benign or malignant. Breast calcifications are calcium deposits within breast tissue. They appear as white spots or flecks on a mammogram. This is one of the reasons why mammography technologists explain to patients the importance of removing deodorant or powder from under their arm and breast area. Deodorant can often look like calcifications under the axillary area on the mammogram images and can raise concern for a suspicious area seen on their mammogram.
There are two kinds of breast calcifications:
Suspicious Breast Calcifications
Patients that have suspicious breast calcifications must return back as a diagnostic patient for a follow-up mammogram. If patients were seen at another clinic and decide to transfer to a new clinic, they must bring their prior breast images and report for the Radiologist to compare their previous images. A diagnostic mammogram workup is usually done with a full true lateral 3D image, a spot magnification image where the calcifications are seen (lateral view, craniocaudal view, or oblique view), and the calcifications images are performed in 2D. These type of follow up images will vary depending on the facility’s protocol and the radiologist’s preference. Instruct the patient to hold very still and to hold their breath. If there is an indication of motion seen on the image, the radiologist will not be able to make a clear diagnosis.
If the calcifications appear suspicious, the radiologist may ask for a repeat mammogram in 3-6 months or recommend a stereotactic biopsy. If the calcifications are benign, a titanium clip may be placed in your breast(s) or removed during surgery with the breast tissue if the results are malignant or positive for breast cancer. Mammograms detecting microcalcifications help diagnose about 85% to 95% of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).
Are Breast Calcifications Caused By Your Diet?
Breast calcifications are not caused by the type of food that you eat or drink. There are several possible causes of breast calcifications:
When Should You See a Doctor?
Breast calcifications are often discovered incidentally during annual mammograms. If the radiologist suspects that the breast calcifications are associated with precancerous changes or breast cancer, another mammogram with magnification views will be ordered to get a closer look. Also, the radiologist may recommend a breast biopsy to test a sample of the breast tissue. Before performing a breast biopsy, the radiologist may request any prior mammogram images to compare and determine if the calcifications are new or have changed in number or pattern.
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The Importance of Having Prior Mammogram Images
When patients are scheduled for their baseline or first mammogram, they will not have prior images to compare abnormalities to. Once a patient has established getting an annual mammogram, they should always know how to easily obtain access to their report and images, in case they change where the receive their annual screening mammogram. Patients may opt to change their breast imaging location for several reasons. Some of the most common reasons may be due to changes made with their health insurance, new residence, a new job, or the patient may have had a bad experience at the other imaging facility.
How Can We Educate Our Patients?
Educating patients about the importance of prior mammogram images is crucial for accurate comparison and diagnosis. Some patients may not be able to obtain their prior mammogram images if it has been longer than 10 years. Even though we would love to have our patients return to us every year, there are several life changes that may get in the way for patients to be able to return. It is our duty as mammographers to maintain a pleasant attitude, communicate effectively, and make the experience great so our patients will keep returning to our facility. If a patient does need to change facilities, they should know the importance of having their prior images and reports because this can cause further delays in their treatment and surgical planning (if needed).
Conclusion
Many patients may have breast calcifications without knowing unless it was seen on your breast mammogram images. It is critical for patients to follow up with diagnostic mammograms that have ?been ordered by their doctor to see if the breast calcifications are benign or malignant. Although a healthy diet is ideal for a healthy lifestyle, breast calcifications are not caused by the food or drinks that we consume. Once a patient arrives at our facility for their annual mammogram, we need to make sure we are educating our patients. Provide clear instructions and share the importance of keeping their mammogram report and images in a safe area if they were to change breast imaging facilities.
References
“Breast Calcifications: When to See a Doctor.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 16 Mar. 2023, www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/breast-calcifications/basics/causes/sym-20050834
Professional, Cleveland Clinic medical. “Breast Calcification: Types, Causes, Tests & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17802-breast-calcifications. Accessed 12 June 2024.A