The density of calcification is significantly higher than that of the surrounding soft tissue. The calcification of the laminae is mostly benign, mostly in granulomatous lesions; the calcification of malignant tumors is “popcorn-like”; the calcification of peripheral lung cancer is solitary punctate or limited to multiple granular or patchy calcifications; the eggshell calcification of hilar lymph nodes is common in pneumoconiosis.
Usually the higher the proportion of calcification in the lesion, the more likely it is to be benign. Diffuse small nodular calcifications are most often seen in alveolar microlithiasis and silicosis.