Microcalcifications: Meaning in a Radiology Report

Also written as: microcalcification, breast calcifications, micro-calcifications, grouped calcifications

Microcalcifications are tiny specks of calcium seen on a mammogram. Most are benign; their shape and pattern tell the radiologist whether to look closer.

What it means

Calcium can settle in breast tissue for many reasons, such as aging milk ducts, old injury, cysts or fibroadenomas. This has nothing to do with calcium in your diet. Larger, coarse calcifications are almost always benign. The tiny ones need a closer look at their shape and arrangement. Round, even specks scattered through both breasts are typical of benign changes. Fine, irregular or branching specks in a cluster or a line can be an early sign of breast cancer.

When it matters

Most microcalcifications are benign. If a screening mammogram shows a group worth checking, you may be called back for magnified views. The radiologist then gives a BI-RADS category. Benign-looking ones need no action, and probably benign ones are usually rechecked in about 6 months. Suspicious ones lead to a needle biopsy, usually guided by mammography. Many biopsied calcifications turn out benign.

Questions to ask your doctor

Which BI-RADS category did you give these calcifications?
Are they new compared with my previous mammograms?
If a biopsy is needed, how is it done and how soon?

General information, not medical advice. What a finding means for you depends on your symptoms, your history and the images themselves, so talk your results through with a doctor.