Calcifications in Digital Mammographic Screening: Improvement of Early Detection of Invasive Breast Cancers?

Calcifications in Digital Mammographic Screening: Improvement of Early Detection of Invasive Breast Cancers?
Stefanie Weigel, Thomas Decker, Eberhard Korsching, Daniela Hungermann, Werner Böcker, and Walter Heindel
Radiology 2010; 255 738-745

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One-third of malignancies detected on the basis of calcifications only are invasive cancers. They tend to be smaller but not less aggressive than invasive cancers detected on the basis of other features. 

Compared with published results of analog screening, digital screening offers the potential to increase the rate of invasive cancers detected on the basis of calcifications in population-based mammographic screening.  Digital mammography has the potential to increase the rate of invasive cancers detected on the basis of isolated calcifications---cancers that tend to be smaller than those discovered because of other radiologic features