calcification

Becky58

I have been told in the past that I have some calcification in my breast. I hear conflicting things about it...is it something to be concerned about or just keep an eye on in the future?

carollynn

Follow this link:

http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/Publications/Breasthealthinformation/1060853140/BreastCalcification.pdf

Carol :O)

Future

Becky,

You're right about the conflicting information. I talked to a surgeon a week ago and gave she gave me three options: (1)do mammos every 6 months for 2 years and if no changes then they'll consider it stable; (2) do a core biopsy - but since I have so many and they're scattered, even if biopsy negative no guarantee that the other calcifications may be pre-cancerous or cancerous; (3) prohylaxtic simple mastectomy. I am going with the mastectomy because mammo did not pick up my cancer even thought it was Stage IIIA and greater than 6 cm and palpable - ultrasound identified it.

Hope this info helps. I can't say there is a right answer - you have to be comfortable with whatever choice you make.

Mary

sassysally

Becky, I had micro calcifications 4 yrs ago. I opted to have the insert wires into my breast for a biopsy ( didnt want them to MISS) Mine came back breast cancer. I do not think calcifications of any kind are somthing to take lightly. Ask your doctor, but if you feel uncomfortable..... go farther. I am glad I did!!! There is a test to drop your breast through a table.... I didnt pick this one as they may miss the calcifications, and would come back negative and youre not... personal choice though. Hope this helps.

roxanne53

sassysally said:

Becky, I had micro calcifications 4 yrs ago. I opted to have the insert wires into my breast for a biopsy ( didnt want them to MISS) Mine came back breast cancer. I do not think calcifications of any kind are somthing to take lightly. Ask your doctor, but if you feel uncomfortable..... go farther. I am glad I did!!! There is a test to drop your breast through a table.... I didnt pick this one as they may miss the calcifications, and would come back negative and youre not... personal choice though. Hope this helps.

Hello, I also had this procedure done in March 2000, and mine left breast came back cancerous. Required a masectomy.
This is a good procedure to determine if the calcifications have cancer or not. As they go right to the spot where the calcification is and take the biopsy.And in more than one area of the breast with the spots. I had a lot so they took numerous biopsy of the tissue.
It is not something you can feel by self exam.
I agree, it is not to be taken lightly and important to know results.

Roxanne

seeknpeace

roxanne53 said:

Hello, I also had this procedure done in March 2000, and mine left breast came back cancerous. Required a masectomy.
This is a good procedure to determine if the calcifications have cancer or not. As they go right to the spot where the calcification is and take the biopsy.And in more than one area of the breast with the spots. I had a lot so they took numerous biopsy of the tissue.
It is not something you can feel by self exam.
I agree, it is not to be taken lightly and important to know results.

Roxanne

Hi...

And yet another vote here for futher diagnosis. Was told that my micro calcifications were not cancerous because they were rounded and spaced apart and cancer would be jagged and closer together. Insisted on a core needle biopsy, and as the others here have said, I had cancer. And, I had very aggressive comedo subtype, nuc grade 3 with extensive necrosis..ie: progressed where it was ready to spread. That 6 mos may have been the difference between life and death for me. I had a bilateral mastectomy, had already had a lumpectomy on the other side, when the surgeon got all my film, he found the mcalci throughout the affected breast. I do not regret it. Jan

troyryans

seeknpeace said:

Hi...

And yet another vote here for futher diagnosis. Was told that my micro calcifications were not cancerous because they were rounded and spaced apart and cancer would be jagged and closer together. Insisted on a core needle biopsy, and as the others here have said, I had cancer. And, I had very aggressive comedo subtype, nuc grade 3 with extensive necrosis..ie: progressed where it was ready to spread. That 6 mos may have been the difference between life and death for me. I had a bilateral mastectomy, had already had a lumpectomy on the other side, when the surgeon got all my film, he found the mcalci throughout the affected breast. I do not regret it. Jan

I'm a little late in responding, but did want to put my two cents in. Like the others, I highly recommend that the calcifications are looked at further. After my annual mammo last year, a cluster of microcalicifications was detected in my right breast. A second enlarged mammo confirmed the same. I opted for a stereotactic core biopsy (breast in hole in table), and after 10 biopsy samples, the samples were tested as benign, BUT the rim of the tissue was not. I then underwent the surgical removal of the tissue. A sidenote, but a second suspicious cluster that was never detected on the first two mammos was picked up during the core biopsy tests. This also tested the same as the other. After needle localization in three spots on my breast, and surgery to remove the tissue, I am now on tamoxifen to keeps the cancer away. I truly believe that without the fast action by my breast surgeon, I would have not recognized that there was a problem, and who knows at what stage the bad tissue would have been finally picked up.

Kathy

pch812

I definitely agree with everyone below who suggests a biopsy - I also had some minor calcification, however my breast surgeon recommended biopsy rather than another mammogram in 6 months - and the biopsy detected cancer. Apparently this is fairly rare when there is minor calcification, but why wait and take a chance?