Benign microcalcification and its differential diagnosis in breast screening

One of the commonest abnormalities identified by breast screening is microcalcification. Of the 1.64 million women screened in England last year, 30,000 underwent further assessment allied to cytological or histological sampling; approximately 40% of these were for microcalcification. Sixty-three per cent of the women undergoing sampling had benign changes only. Benign breast microcalcification is, therefore, a significant clinical issue. Lesions that result in calcification may mimic in-situ and invasive malignancy both radiologically and pathologically. The common benign and borderline pathologies that cause calcification are discussed and correlated with the radiological patterns, highlighting areas of possible diagnostic difficulty.