Calcification in the breast

In fact, prostate calcification is a disease that exists not only in men but also in women. Women who have experienced lactation are also more likely to develop breast calcifications, because breast calcifications are closely related to the deposition of latex, which can be medically detected as the deposition of calcium substances. Therefore, it is important for women to have proper knowledge about breast calcification.

1. What is breast calcification?

Breast calcifications are calcium deposits in the breast that can be detected by mammography.

2. Differences between benign calcification and malignant calcification

Calcification may also occur in benign diseases, but calcification caused by benign diseases, such as milk stasis and vascular calcification, is usually coarse calcification, with large calcification foci, few in number, and relatively scattered. Malignant breast calcification has a higher density and smaller calcification foci. More calcifications can be seen in a smaller area, and sometimes tumor shadows can be seen around the calcifications.

3. Will breast calcification disappear?

This is a question that doctors are often asked in clinical practice. For breast cancer calcification, a small number of patients will see a reduction in calcification foci after chemotherapy, but this is not common, and the number of calcification foci cannot be used as an observation indicator of the effectiveness of tumor treatment. Many benign calcifications, such as vascular calcification and milk cysts, only remind the body of the existence of lesions. Its presence or absence has no significant impact on the breast, and there is currently no specific drug that can make it disappear. In clinical practice, it is only necessary to regularly observe whether there are any changes in the calcification foci. There is no need to force the calcification foci to disappear or cause psychological burden.

What is the mechanism of calcification in the human body?

In a normal body, only bones and tooth tissues contain solid calcium salts. If solid calcium salts are deposited in tissues other than bones and teeth, it is called pathological calcification.

The deposited calcium salts are mainly calcium phosphate, followed by calcium carbonate. When stained with HE, calcium salts appear as blue granules. The particles are tiny at first, then aggregate into larger particles or flakes. When there are large quantities, they can be seen as white lime-like lumps with the naked eye. Because it is difficult to be completely absorbed, it becomes a long-term foreign body in the body, stimulating the proliferation of surrounding connective tissue and wrapping it. This explains why calcified plaques can be large or small.

Pathological calcification is divided into two types: malnutrition calcification and metastatic calcification. The former is common and is the deposition of calcium salts on degenerated, necrotic tissues or foreign bodies, such as tuberculosis necrotic foci, fat necrotic foci, degenerated necrotic areas within atherosclerotic plaques, necrotic parasite bodies, eggs and other foreign bodies. At this time, blood calcium may not rise because there is no systemic calcium-phosphorus metabolism disorder.

The mechanism of malnutrition calcification may be related to the increase of local alkaline phosphatase: alkaline phosphatase can hydrolyze organic phosphatase, causing an increase in local phosphate. When it exceeds the constant value of 3Ca2+×2PO43-, calcium phosphate precipitates are formed.