Can anyone tell me what calcifications on a mammogram are all about? Is this something to be really worried about?

Lori

This is what I understood.....they are deposits of calcium that depending on size, shape and what pattern they form or how they're clustered together, can given an idea if they may be benign or not. In my situation, my doctor said I had an are of calcifications that had clustered tightly together and a biopsy was in order.Sure enough it turned out I had ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS which is the kind of cancer "you want" if you have to have it, so to speak.
So if your doctor says further testing is required, go for it and good luck! Hopefully it will turn out benign.
Do a search for Breast Calcifictions....alot of info out there.

Wayover 20...................what treatment did you undergo? How are you doing now? And how long ago was this?

Sorry for all the questions. I am just a bit freaked out right now. I am going to have a biopsy on them.

I went to a highly recommended Dr. around here and she didn't find them worrysome but re-checked me in 6 mos to make sure it was "normal for me." It seems like mine weren't clustered but sprinkled about on both sides. I had a mammo at 35 but then the next one wasn't until 43 since I was pregnant and breastfeeding for all my years after 40. They weren't on the previous one but my breasts have been through a lot of changes since then. When I went for my 6 mo, she said they were identical and just part of my makeup. A bit of anxiety but seems like it's somewhat common. I'd do whatever they recommend to get to the bottom of this. Good luck.

Wayover20

I too had DCIS and had a mastectomy. I am small breasted anyway and allergic to the dye they wanted to use in the lymph nodes under my arm so they were not tested or removed. I had a 1 millimeter clear margin and did not have radiation or chemo or Tamoxifen. I have been on Raloxifine for osteoporosis and they think this helps keep the cancer from returning. I was lucky I had the mastectomy as the cluster showed up in just in one area on the mammogram and as it turns out my whole breast was full of cancer. That was 4 1/2 years ago and so far so good. It is a shame though that they can only test the remaining breast and there is no way to test via ultrasound or something the side that has been removed. The surgeon told me upfront that there is no guarantee she got every cell and to make sure I see the oncologist on a regular basis. It can sneak up on you going into the chest, bone, liver, brain. Who really knows what is going on in ones body. I don't dwell on it -- I even forgot the oncologist visit in September and the fact I was supposed to have a mammogram back then. I just had one this week and see him in a few weeks. They are mad at me as I was a no show. I was having mold problems at the time and was absorbed in that with remediation, etc. Enough is enough already. Now they are telling me a lot of my health issues including the cancer could have been caused by unknown long term mold exposure as I have high levels of mold mycotoxins in my blood which do all sorts of horrible things one of which is bad immune system and cancer.

Take care and hope the DCIS never comes back to either of us.