These tiny dots of various shapes, brightly outlined on a field of gray, can be benign in places like the lymph nodes, small arteries, and along the ducts. This is good news because it means that radiologists have another way to pick up cancer. In addition to looking for the mass itself, they can look for these characteristic calcifications. Nonetheless, sometimes it is difficult to tell whether a given calcification is benign or malignant. The calcifications can appear as irregularities in the cloud formation or as tiny, punctation dots.
Chances are that they are benign.
This is an area where the art and science of radiology come together. Which route to take depends on many factors that the patient should discuss with all the members of the health care team. Cancer grows more slowly as the patient ages, so older women may choose to wait to see what happens since there is less urgency. Suspicious cases are biopsied. The vast majority of biopsies turn out to be benign.