Breast Microcalcifications

If magnification views reveal smaller microcalcifications clustered with those visible on the regular mammogram, the likelihood of cancer increases. http://www.katc.com/global/story.asp?s=1 ...

Sometimes on a mammogram tiny white grains of calcium or microcalcifications are considered. Nobody knows exactly why, in certain circumstances, chest binds calcium. Fortunately, the majority of microcalcifications seen on mammography are due to benign changes and often represents an aging process. There are four main categories of microcalcifications

1. Malignant calcifications

These calcifications are very characteristic and are associated with invasive cancer. Nobody is sure why the breast microcalcifications in this situation fixed. One theory is that, with malignant / premalignant conditions, there is an abnormal production and turn over or cell death. With the death of the cell, calcium is a by-product.

Calcifications 2.Premalignant

These calcifications are associated with pre-cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Sometimes it is easy to distinguish the calcifications are associated with precancerous DCIS, but this is not always the case.

The breast is composed of fat, fibrous tissue and glandular tissue. The glandular tissue contains ducts and lobules of the glands of milk /. Conduits are hollow tubes through which the milk produced in the milk glands lobules / is performed on the nipple. The canals and milk glands lobules / are lined with cells. It is these cells that can become precancerous and have the ability to become cancerous.

The true DCIS term is misleading and alarming. Because cancer of the word is used the natural assumption is that DCIS is invasive cancer. This is not correct. DCIS is a precancerous lesion or precancerous breast. This is not an invasive cancer but it has the potential to change to invasive cancer if left in the chest. The main difference between invasive cancer and precancerous is that invasive cancer is the ability to invade the blood or lymph vessels and spread through the body. DCIS precancer or is not able to do what the cells are contained within the walls leads (see diagram).

DCIS is classified by the pathologist as either high, medium or low grade. It is believed that high grade DCIS becomes invasive definitely within a few years, far below grade DCIS is probably cancerous, but over a longer period - 10-20 years. The intermediate grade DCIS has an activity between high and low calcification grade.3.Indeterminant

Sometimes the calcification pattern is not clear and are called indeterminate calcifications. To determine the nature of these microcalcifications, there are two options available.
* Microcalcifications can be biopsied, surgically or by stereotactic biopsy.
* Mammography or 6 months can be done. The absence of any change in this interval of time which suggests that the calcifications are the result of a process Benin. Because the process of precancerous cells turn invasive takes years, examining the area through a mammogram six months is not felt to jeopardize the situation.

4. Benign calcifications

The main group of calcifications visible on mammography belongs to this group. http://www.healthguidesonline.com/Breast ...

calcium deposits