Prevalence and Severity of Breast Arterial Calcification on Routine Mammography

Aim. To determine the frequency of detection and severity of breast arterial calcification (BAC) among women undergoing mammography on the basis of medical institutions in Moscow.Material and methods. The analysis included 4274 digital mammograms of women aged 40-93 who underwent preventive or diagnostic mammography. Standard full-format digital mammograms were performed in craniocaudal and mediolateral oblique projections. In addition to the standard diagnosis of breast disease, all mammograms were evaluated for the presence of BAC. The severity of BAC was assessed on a 12-point scale: mild 3-4 points, moderate 5-6 points, severe 7-12 points.Results. The average frequency of BAC was 10.1%, in the middle age group 50-59 years – 6.0%. The incidence of BAC increased with age, from 0.4% to 0.6% in women <50 years of age to >50% in women ≥80 years of age. A statistically significant and pronounced correlation was found between the woman's age and the presence of BAC r Pearson =0.769 (p<0.001). There was also a less noticeable but statistically significant correlation between age and severity of BAC r Spearman =0.319 (p<0.001). Regression analysis made it possible to estimate the probability of CAD depending on age. In women <50 years of age, only mild to moderate calcification occurred, while those ≥65 years of age had a significant increase in the incidence of severe CAD.Conclusion. There was an expected increase with age in both prevalence and severity of BAC. Cases of severe BAC in women younger than 65 years of age and any BAC in women younger than 50 years of age are atypical and require clarification of their association with cardiovascular and other diseases.

Assessment of the Severity of Breast Artery Calcification on a Mammogram: Intraoperator and Interoperator Reproducibility

Purpose. To study approaches to the quantitative assessment of breast arterial calcification (BAC) – a new surrogate marker of high cardiovascular risk in women, to determine the most detailed way to quantify BAC and to assess the reproducibility of these parameters.

Material and methods. Mammograms of 1,078 women were analyzed for the presence of BAC. The intraoperator reproducibility of the assessment of the severity of BAC using a 12-point scale (Margolies L et al., 2016) was studied by analyzing 20 mammograms by the same operator twice with an interval of at least 2 weeks. Inter-operator reproducibility was studied by analyzing 99 mammograms by two independent operators.

Results. When assessing the intraoperative reproducibility of the total score for each mammary gland, the exact coincidence of the results was noted in 70% (95% confidence interval [CI] 53.5-83.4), in cases of difference of no more than 1 point – in 27.5% (95%CI 14.6-43.9), only in 1 case the difference in assessments was 2 points. No systematic error was found between the two measurements (p=1.0), the correlation coefficient was rs=0.973. The assessment of inter-operator reproducibility showed that the exact coincidence of indicators was present in 48.5% (95%CI 41.3-55.7), in 91.4% (95% CI 86.6-94.9) cases, the total score for each the mammary gland differed by no more than 1 point. There was no systematic error between the measurements of the two experts (p=0.438), the correlation coefficient was rs=0.942.

Conclusion. A good intraoperator and interoperator reproducibility of indicators of the severity of BAC on a 12-point scale has been shown, which makes it possible to recommend it for use in science and practice.

Breast artery calcification and osteoporosis in postmenopausal woman: a case report and opinion on the problem

Mammography is one of the most common screening test in the female population. In addition to identifying breast cancer, vascular calcification is clearly visualized on the mammogram, which is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, and a number of other chronic non-communicable diseases. The article presents a case report of a postmenopausal woman with breast artery calcification and osteoporosis. Identification of women at risk of non-cancer diseases significantly expands the prospects of using mammography for screening.