What Types of Abnormalities Can Diagnostic Mammography Detect?
Mammography is used to detect a number of abnormalities, the two main ones being calcifications and masses. Calcifications are tiny mineral deposits within the breast tissue that appear as small white regions on the mammogram films. There are two types of calcifications: microcalcifications and macrocalcifications (see below). A mass is any group of cells clustered together more densely than the surrounding tissue. A cyst (pocket of fluid) may also appear as a mass on mammography. Radiologists may often use ultrasound to help differentiate between a solid mass and a cyst. Calcifications, masses and other conditions that may appear on a mammogram: • Microcalcifications are tiny (less than 1/50 of an inch or of a millimeter) specks of calcium in the breast. When many microcalcifications are seen in one area, they are referred to as a cluster and may indicate a small cancer. About half of the cancers detected by mammography appear as a cluster of microcalcifications. Microcalcifications a
