The Incidence and Significance of Calcifications within Operative Breast Specimens

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Abstract
During an 11-month period, 1,484 consecutive breast specimens were studied radiographically and microscopically to determine the incidence and location of clusters of calcification. Of 450 malignant tumors, 277 (62%) contained evidence of calcification found in the roentgenograms and gross specimens. Among the 450 malignant tumors were 32 lobular carcinomas in situ. Twenty-five (78%) of these 32 specimens contained clusters of calcification. Of the 1,034 benign lesions, 238 (23%) contained clusters of calcification. The characteristics and microscopic locations of the calcifications in the benign and malignant lesions have been characterized. During this study of routine radiography of all breast specimens, four unsuspected carcinomas were detected in biopsies that otherwise would have been diagnosed as benign; four more unsuspected intraductal carcinomas were found in specimens that were already known to contain primary cancers. Finally, an area of infiltrating lobular carcinoma was located in a specimen in which only in situ lobular carcinoma had previously been found on routine pathologic examination.

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