Roentgenographic diagnosis of calcification in carcinoma of the breast.

Abstract

Abnormal calcification of tissue has attracted study from the earliest days of roentgenology, but, so far, calcifying processes in the breast have received little attention. Not until 1949 did an observation appear dealing with the diagnostic importance of punctate calcification in carcinoma of the breast. The significance of this report by Leborgne 1 has become evident to us after comparative x-ray and histological examination of the breasts of 425 patients. The use of the whole breast slicer technique of Ingleby 2 and of routine histological examinations have served to check accurately the roentgenographic findings, which are now based on recently improved techniques. 3 We suspect that we may have overlooked many cases of carcinomatous calcification in the films made by older techniques. The present method of examination, patterned after that of Leborgne, 1 takes advantage of fine grain, non-screen films and the small focal spot of the latest model, rotating