What percentage of breast calcifications are cancerous?

What percentage of breast calcifications are cancerous?

According to one study, suspicious calcifications that require follow-up testing turn out to be cancer approximately 12% to 40% of the time. Other research suggests that many of these cases are likely false positives, where a possible or questioned cancer diagnosis turns out to be benign. Research is ongoing to improve cancer detection technologies so that misdiagnosis doesn’t happen.

Routine mammograms are essential for detecting cancer early. Microcalcifications are present in approximately half of breast cancer cases with no detectible lump. Mammography screening that detects microcalcifications aids in diagnosing 85% to 95% of DCIS, or the early cancer cells that are contained within the milk ducts.