Department of Experimental Medicine, University "Tor Vergata", Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy.
Fondazione Umberto Veronesi (FUV), Piazza Velasca 5, 20122 Milano, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Dec 24;22(1):120. doi: 10.3390/ijms22010120.
The presence of calcium deposits in human lesions is largely used as imaging biomarkers of human diseases such as breast cancer. Indeed, the presence of micro- or macrocalcifications is frequently associated with the development of both benign and malignant lesions. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms involved in the formation of these calcium deposits, as well as the prognostic significance of their presence in human tissues, have not been completely elucidated. Therefore, a better characterization of the biological process related to the formation of calcifications in different tissues and organs, as well as the understanding of the prognostic significance of the presence of these calcium deposits into human tissues could significantly improve the management of patients characterized by microcalcifications associated lesions. Starting from these considerations, this narrative review highlights the most recent histopathological and molecular data concerning the formation of calcifications in breast, thyroid, lung, and ovarian diseases. Evidence reported here could deeply change the current point of view concerning the role of ectopic calcifications in the progression of human diseases and also in the patients' management. In fact, the presence of calcifications can suggest an unfavorable prognosis due to dysregulation of normal tissues homeostasis.
钙沉积物在人体病变中的存在，在很大程度上被用作乳腺癌等人类疾病的成像生物标志物。事实上，微钙化或大钙化的存在经常与良性和恶性病变的发展有关。然而，这些钙沉积物形成的分子机制，以及它们在人体组织中存在的预后意义，尚未完全阐明。因此，更好地描述与不同组织和器官中钙沉积形成相关的生物学过程，以及理解这些钙沉积物在人体组织中存在的预后意义，可能会显著改善伴有微钙化相关病变的患者的管理。基于这些考虑，本综述性文章强调了有关乳腺、甲状腺、肺和卵巢疾病中钙沉积形成的最新组织病理学和分子数据。这里报道的证据可能会深刻改变人们对异位钙化在人类疾病进展和患者管理中的作用的现有观点。事实上，由于正常组织动态平衡的失调，钙沉积物的存在可能预示着预后不良。
