Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 123 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 123 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer. 2018 Apr;1869(2):310-320. doi: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2018.04.006. Epub 2018 Apr 21.
The implementation of mammographic screening programmes in many countries has been linked to a marked increase in early detection and improved prognosis for breast cancer patients. Breast tumours can be detected by assessing several features in mammographic images but one of the most common are the presence of small deposits of calcium known as microcalcifications, which in many cases may be the only detectable sign of a breast tumour. In addition to their efficacy in the detection of breast cancer, the presence of microcalcifications within a breast tumour may also convey useful prognostic information. Breast tumours with associated calcifications display an increased rate of HER2 overexpression as well as decreased survival, increased risk of recurrence, high tumour grade and increased likelihood of spread to the lymph nodes. Clearly, the presence of microcalcifications in a tumour is a clinically significant finding, suggesting that a detailed understanding of their formation may improve our knowledge of the early stages of breast tumourigenesis, yet there are no reports which attempt to bring together recent basic science research findings and current knowledge of the clinical significance of microcalcifications. This review will summarise the most current understanding of the formation of calcifications within breast tissue and explore their associated clinical features and prognostic value.
在许多国家，乳腺 X 线筛查项目的实施与乳腺癌患者的早期发现和改善预后显著相关。通过评估乳腺图像中的几个特征可以检测到乳腺肿瘤，但最常见的特征之一是存在称为微钙化的小钙沉积物，在许多情况下，这可能是乳腺肿瘤唯一可检测的迹象。除了在乳腺癌检测中的功效外，乳腺肿瘤中微钙化的存在也可能提供有用的预后信息。伴有钙化的乳腺肿瘤显示出更高的 HER2 过表达率以及生存率降低、复发风险增加、肿瘤分级升高和向淋巴结转移的可能性增加。显然，肿瘤中存在微钙化是一个具有临床意义的发现，这表明对其形成的详细了解可能会提高我们对乳腺癌发生早期阶段的认识，但目前尚无报告试图将最近的基础科学研究结果和微钙化的临床意义的现有知识结合起来。这篇综述将总结目前对乳腺组织内钙化形成的最深入了解，并探讨其相关的临床特征和预后价值。
