![]() ![]() The modern radiologist should be aware of this association and be wary of decreasing or disappearing calcifications on follow-up examinations.Ī postmenopausal woman (G5P4A1) over age 65 with a PMHx of hypertension and peripheral vascular disease presented for screening mammography. This case report adds to the limited number of published studies demonstrating the association between malignancy and the disappearance of an isolated group of indeterminate microcalcifications. The disappearing calcifications were initially interpreted as benign-appearing however, on retrospective review they were more consistent with coarse heterogenous calcifications and should have been deemed indeterminate and given a BIRADS 4. We present a case of a postmenopausal woman who had spontaneously resolving calcifications contemporaneous with the formation of a soft tissue mass which was pathologically diagnosed as invasive ductal carcinoma. The relatively small number of prior studies demonstrate that resolution of benign-appearing breast calcifications is nearly always related to benign processes whereas, the disappearance of indeterminant calcifications can be associated with a contemporaneous malignancy. Spontaneous resolving/disappearing breast calcifications is a rarely-reported occurrence. Benign morphologies include round, rim, dystrophic, and milk of calcium calcifications whereas, suspicious morphologies include amorphous, coarse heterogenous, fine pleomorphic, and fine-linear/fine-linear branching calcifications. Specifically, the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (ACR BI-RADS) classifies calcifications based on morphology and distribution. Overall, the majority of benign-appearing spontaneous resolving microcalcifications likely are related to benign processes however, radiologists should be aware of the association of disappearing grouped, indeterminant calcifications with the resulting development of malignancy, especially in the presence of a nearby, newly-forming soft tissue mass.īreast calcifications are a common mammographic finding and characteristics of the calcifications help classify them as benign or suspicious. A handful of studies have shown the resolution of indeterminant calcifications to be associated with malignancy, and interestingly, all of these cases also demonstrated a new parenchymal abnormality which is akin to the present case. We present a case of a postmenopausal woman who had spontaneously resolving grouped, coarse heterogenous calcifications in the setting a new soft tissue mass which was pathologically proven to be invasive ductal carcinoma. Spontaneous disappearing breast calcifications is a rarely-reported phenomenon and the relatively small number of studies that have been done mostly associated the resolution of benign-appearing breast calcifications with benign processes. ![]()
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