What is calcification in the breast?

Breast calcifications are small calcium deposits found in your breast tissue. It’s very common to develop these areas of calcium, especially as you age. Because calcifications in the breast can’t be felt, they’re usually found during a screening mammogram.

Most of the time, breast calcifications are harmless or benign. However, some calcifications can be a very early sign of breast cancer. Your care team will carefully examine any areas of breast calcification seen on your mammogram so you can have peace of mind about your breast health.

Types of calcifications:

breast imaging provider helping woman into mammogram machine to exam breast calcifications

Breast calcification symptoms

Breast calcifications don’t cause any symptoms. Because they are so small, you can’t feel these calcium spots with a breast exam. Most people don’t know they have areas of calcification in the breast until they go in for an annual screening mammogram. When X-ray images are taken during this routine screening, breast calcifications appear on the images as bright, white spots.

Because microcalcifications don’t cause symptoms but can be an early sign of precancerous cells or breast cancer, it’s important to get your annual screening mammogram. Mammograms easily detect these calcifications and give your care team vital information to guide your care. 

You can also be proactive about your breast health by addressing other breast symptoms and talking to your doctor.

woman smiling with mask on at breast imaging provider during breast calcification exam

What causes breast calcifications?

The causes of breast calcifications are not entirely known. They’re often considered normal as you age. However, they may be more likely to form if you have other breast health conditions.

Some possible causes of breast calcification could include:

Diagnosis of breast calcifications

If your screening mammogram shows areas of calcification in breast tissue, the radiologist who reviews your mammogram will use magnification to look at the size, shape and distribution of the calcifications. Based on this, the radiologist will classify the type of breast calcification.

If your mammogram shows the more significant, scattered type—macrocalcifications—then your mammogram may be all that’s needed. If your breast calcifications show up as microcalcifications—smaller specks, especially in a group or line—then you may have other tests to get a closer look and diagnose the cause. The two most common tests to help with a diagnosis are a diagnostic mammogram and a breast biopsy. 

Diagnostic mammogram

A diagnostic mammogram helps give your team more images of your breast tissue or detailed photos of a specific area.

When you get a diagnostic mammogram, you can expect a similar process as your routine screening mammogram.

Biopsy

A breast biopsy is a minimally invasive procedure that takes a small sample of the breast tissue where you have calcifications. Your care team then sends this tissue sample to a lab to help diagnose the cause of the breast calcification. Because breast calcifications are tiny, your team may use imaging to help guide your biopsy.

Breast calcification treatment

Your care team will create a treatment plan for your breast calcifications based on the type of calcifications you have. When calcifications appear on a mammogram, the radiologist who reviews your images puts these calcifications into one of three categories. These categories serve as a way to guide the next steps in your care.

In general, breast calcifications are more likely to be in the suspicious category if they are smaller specks, aren’t all a consistent shape or size, or are clustered together instead of scattered throughout the breast.

If your report lists the breast calcifications as “benign,” you don’t need any treatment. If you have a mammogram report that lists calcifications as “probably benign” or “suspicious,” you’ll talk with your doctor about additional monitoring or tests for your care.

The three breast calcification categories are:

Our breast imaging centers near you

We offer several locations for your care, including women’s imaging centers in North and Central Texas, to monitor and diagnose breast calcifications.

Baylor Scott & White Darlene G. Cass Women's Imaging Center At Junius
Baylor Scott & White Darlene G. Cass Women's Imaging Center At Junius

3900 Junius St , Dallas, TX, 75246

Directions
214.820.2430
Baylor Scott & White Darlene G. Cass Women's Imaging Center At North Dallas
Baylor Scott & White Darlene G. Cass Women's Imaging Center At North Dallas

9101 N Central Expy , Dallas, TX, 75231

Directions
214.820.2430
Baylor Scott & White Women's Imaging Center - Las Colinas (Macarthur & I-635)
Baylor Scott & White Women's Imaging Center - Las Colinas (Macarthur & I-635)

440 W Lyndon B Johnson Fwy , Irving, TX, 75063

Directions
972.990.5650
Baylor Scott & White Women's Imaging Center - Plano
Baylor Scott & White Women's Imaging Center - Plano

4716 Alliance Blvd , Plano, TX, 75093

Directions
469.814.4400
Baylor Scott & White Imaging Center - Rockwall
Baylor Scott & White Imaging Center - Rockwall

1005 W Ralph Hall Parkway, Suite 121 , Rockwall, TX, 75032

Directions
972.520.9700
Baylor Scott & White Imaging Center - Wylie
Baylor Scott & White Imaging Center - Wylie

2300 Fm 544, Suite 110 , Wylie, TX, 75098

Directions
972.520.9950
Baylor Scott & White Women's Imaging Center - Irving
Baylor Scott & White Women's Imaging Center - Irving

2001 N Macarthur Blvd, Mob 1, Suite 250 , Irving, TX, 75061

Directions
972.990.4270
Baylor Scott & White Women's Imaging Center Richardson
Baylor Scott & White Women's Imaging Center Richardson

1410 E Renner Rd Ste 250 , Richardson, TX, 75082-2227

Directions
214.442.7050
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Lake Pointe
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Lake Pointe

6800 Scenic Dr , Rowlett, TX, 75088

Directions
972.520.9000
Baylor Scott & White Women's Imaging Center - Grapevine
Baylor Scott & White Women's Imaging Center - Grapevine

1631 Lancaster Dr, Suite 130 , Grapevine, TX, 76051

Directions
817.329.2501
Baylor Scott & White Imaging Center - Forney
Baylor Scott & White Imaging Center - Forney

763 E Us Hwy 80, Suite 120 , Forney, TX, 75126

Directions
972.520.9500

Frequently asked questions