Breast calcifications are deposits of calcium that can be seen on a mammogram of the breast. There are two types: macrocalcifications and microcalcifications.

• Macrocalcifications usually are degenerative changes in the breast resulting from old injuries, inflammations, or aging of the breast arteries and are usually not related to cancer. Most often they do not require a biopsy. Macrocalcifications occur in about half the women in the U.S. who are over 50, and in about 10 percent of women under...