What does a benign coarse calcification look like on mammography?

Study for the Mammography Jeopardy Test. Get ready for your exam with engaging questions, detailed explanations, and comprehensive study materials.

Coarse, popcorn-like calcifications are a hallmark of benign changes on mammography. These calcifications are large and chunky with a rounded, “popcorn” appearance, and they typically occur within a fibroadenoma or other benign lesion as dystrophic calcifications. This pattern stands in contrast to malignant-looking features such as fine, granular microcalcifications that form ductal patterns, a spiculated mass with irregular borders, or fine linear calcifications along ducts, which raise suspicion for ductal carcinoma in situ or invasive cancer.