What is a popcorn calcification and with which lesion is it commonly associated?

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Popcorn calcifications are large, coarse calcifications that form within a breast lesion and are most characteristic of a long-standing fibroadenoma. Their name comes from their appearance on mammography—chunky, rounded calcifications that resemble popped corn and are typically seen inside a well-defined, oval mass. This pattern reflects degenerative changes in the fibroadenoma over time and indicates a benign process rather than malignancy. Other calcification patterns, such as fine, linear, or branching microcalcifications, are more associated with malignant processes like ductal carcinoma in situ, whereas cholesterol granuloma or calcifications seen with invasive lobular carcinoma do not exhibit the popcorn appearance. Therefore, the presence of coarse, popcorn-like calcifications within a fibroadenoma is the classic benign finding.