What are foci of calcification in the breast? Foci of calcification are calcium deposits in the breast detected by x-ray. Calcified foci in the breast can vary in size: coarse calcified foci are often benign lesions in the breast, such as aging, old damage to the arteries in the breast, and inflammation, and usually do not require further biopsy. Small foci of calcification are usually located in areas of rapid cell growth and division. If multiple fine calcified dots are locally clustered, it suggests the possible presence of small breast cancer lesions. Half of the breast cancers detected by X-ray show clusters of small calcified foci in the breast. How to deal with small calcified foci in the breast? Some types of small calcified foci on X-ray may be diagnosed as benign without biopsy, and doctors often suggest patients to take another mammogram after 3-6 months for follow-up. Some small calcified foci are difficult to identify as benign or malignant on X-ray, so further biopsy is needed to clarify the diagnosis. Why do I need biopsy if I can’t feel the lump on physical examination? Breast cancer is not necessarily palpable. Once it becomes a lump, it may have already progressed, so biopsy is needed for lesions with suspicious x-ray, such as some small calcified foci. Biopsy helps to detect breast cancer in its early stages and greatly increases the likelihood that the patient will be cured. The majority of cases showing a small number of calcified spots are benign. Morphology differs between benign and malignant calcified foci. Benign calcified foci often appear as small dots and rods of varying size and density and can be distributed in both the parenchyma and interstitium of the breast. The above characteristics are for clinical reference only. The final diagnosis of benign and malignant foci should be based on pathological histological examination. Generally speaking, breast cancer detected by abnormal X-ray is small in size, and if there are no axillary lymph nodes or distant metastases, the 5-year survival rate is over 90%; meanwhile, these patients are also the most suitable candidates for breast preservation surgery (local excision plus postoperative radiotherapy). How do I biopsy a breast lesion that cannot be felt as a lump? Mammograms may reveal small, undetectable lesions. In this case, a procedure called “localization” will assist the physician in finding the lesion and removing it during the biopsy. The “localization” procedure is usually performed by puncturing a fine needle into the breast tissue under x-ray guidance, with the tip of the needle pointing to the site of the calcified lesion. Currently, there are two types of localization biopsies: percutaneous puncture biopsy and surgical biopsy. The biopsy specimen is immediately sent to the pathology department for testing and the results are usually available within a week. Breast calcification foci biopsy: About 1/3 of women who have mammograms can find breast calcification foci. Breast cancer cells contain more calcium and phosphorus and are highly metabolized, so they can easily form calcium salts. The incidence of calcified breast foci in breast cancer patients is as high as 30-48%, and if magnification photography is used, the imaging rate of calcified breast foci can be increased to 53%. The ratio of benign disease to breast cancer in calcified breast foci is about 4s1. Currently, X-ray guided coarse needle aspiration biopsy, ultrasound guided coarse needle aspiration biopsy and X-ray guided metal wire localized surgical excisional biopsy techniques are performed in foreign countries for breast calcified foci that are negative to clinical palpation. In comparison, the imaging rate of microcalcifications is better with X-ray than with ultrasound, and surgical excision is better than coarse needle aspiration in the integrity of biopsy of calcified foci. These techniques are currently less developed in China.