Using 2.1-µm high-resolution microcomputed tomography, we have examined the spatial distribution, clustering, and shape of nearly 35,000 microcalcifications (µCalcs) ≥ 5 µm in the fibrous caps of 22 ...nonruptured human atherosclerotic plaques. The vast majority of these µCalcs were <15 µm and invisible at the previously used 6.7-µm resolution. A greatly simplified 3D finite element analysis has made it possible to quickly analyze which of these thousands of minute inclusions are potentially dangerous. We show that the enhancement of the local tissue stress caused by particle clustering increases rapidly for gap between particle pairs (h)/particle diameter (D) < 0.4 if particles are oriented along the tensile axis of the cap. Of the thousands of µCalcs observed, there were 193 particle pairs with h / D ≤ 2 (tissue stress factor > 2), but only 3 of these pairs had h / D ≤ 0.4, where the local tissue stress could increase a factor > 5. Using nondecalcified histology, we also show that nearly all caps have µCalcs between 0.5 and 5 µm and that the µCalcs ≥ 5 µm observed in high-resolution microcomputed tomography are agglomerations of smaller calcified matrix vesicles. µCalcs < 5 µm are predicted to be not harmful, because the tiny voids associated with these very small particles will not explosively grow under tensile forces because of their large surface energy. These observations strongly support the hypothesis that nearly all fibrous caps have µCalcs, but only a small subset has the potential for rupture.
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.
A challenging issue in computerized detection of clustered microcalcifications (MCs) is the frequent occurrence of false positives (FPs) caused by local image patterns that resemble MCs. We develop a ...context-sensitive deep neural network (DNN), aimed to take into account both the local image features of an MC and its surrounding tissue background, for MC detection. The DNN classifier is trained to automatically extract the relevant image features of an MC as well as its image context. The proposed approach was evaluated on a set of 292 mammograms using free-response receiver operating characteristic (FROC) analysis on the accuracy both in detecting individual MCs and in detecting MC clusters. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach could achieve significantly higher FROC curves when compared to two MC-based detectors. It indicates that incorporating image context information in MC detection can be beneficial for reducing the FPs in detections.
Les microcalcifications ou microlithiases testiculaires représentent une entité rare. Le diagnostic est réalisé par l´échographique qui montre un aspect pathognomonique. Elles résulteraient de ...concrétions calciques dans la lumière des tubes séminifères dont l´origine serait une dégénérescence des cellules spermatiques ou épithéliales des tubes séminifères. Une classification échographique distingue trois grades selon leur nombre. Les microcalcifications peuvent être un état précancéreux ou associées à des affections tumorales. Elles sont fréquemment retrouvées sur les testicules cryptorchides ou dans des affections plus rares comme le syndrome de klinefelter mais également sur des testicules normaux. Le diagnostic différentiel se pose avec les phlébolites, les cicatrices fibreuses, les granulomes calcifiés et les tumeurs. Nous rapportons le cas d´un patient de 69 ans, qui a réalisé une échographie testiculaire pour une suspicion d´hernie inguino-scrtale droite. Il était père de trois enfants et ne présentait pas antécédent pathologique. L´échographie testiculaire objectivait de multiples images hyperéchogènes de 2-3mm intra testiculaire sans cône d´ombre postérieur réparties de façon diffuse et bilatérale compatible avec des Microcalcifications testiculaire grade 3 (A). Les testicules étaient hypotrophiques et mesuraient respectivement 2,2cm3 à droite et 3,1cm3 à gauche. Il s´y associait une hydrocèle droite de moyenne abondance. Il n´y avait pas de nodule testiculaire suspect ni d´argument pour une hernie inguinoscrotale. Une surveillance clinique et échographique biannuelle a été proposée chez le patient.
Introduction. Microcalcifications in breast tissue are an important marker of the tumor process and are crucial for early diagnosis of this pathology. Detection of microcalcifications in the breast ...gland using mammography is of great importance in the diagnosis of breast cancer (BC), especially in the early stages. The presence of microcalcifications in the mammary gland indicates a worse prognosis, mainly due to a higher frequency of lymph node invasion and rapid metastasis.
The objective of the paper is the bibliometric analysis and research of data on the pathomorphological characteristics of breast cancer with biomineralization.
Materials and methods. The authors searched for information on BC in electronic databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using key terms such as "breast cancer," "calcification," "microcalcifications". For bibliometric analysis, we used SciVal (Scopus) online platform for monitoring and analyzing international scientific research using visualization tools and modern citation metrics and VOSviewer tool for building and visualizing bibliometric networks.
Results. The presence of microcalcifications in the mammary gland correlates with a worse prognosis, especially due to a higher frequency of lymph node invasion and rapid metastasis.
It is important to distinguish microcalcifications by type and origin, as they can be an indicator of differential diagnosis of the pathological process in the tissue of the gastrointestinal tract, namely, benign and malignant pathology.
We performed a bibliometric analysis of the scientific sources of the Scopus database, which included 924 publications. The main keywords for the bibliometric analysis were "breast cancer", "calcification", "microcalcifications". The results of the analysis indicated that the number of publications on the specified subject had increased over the past 10 years, which showed the relevance of the problem among scientists.
Among the most interesting areas, we singled out the papers devoted to the classification of breast cancers, early diagnosis of breast cancer, and classification of biomineral deposits.
In order to build and visualize bibliometric networks, we used the VOSviewer publication activity tool.
Conclusions. For the period of 1967–2022, we identified 4 chronological stages from the bibliometric analysis results in the Scopus database, which included: 1) radiological methods of research – mammography, 2) pathomorphological assessment of cervical cancer and calcifications, 3) study of BC progression biomarkers, 4) prognostic assessment of BC depending on metastasis and survival. We divided all publications into 6 thematic clusters: 1) classification of biominerals, 2) mammography, 3) physico-chemical composition of calcifications, 3) ductal neoplasia of the breast, 4) biopsy, 5) metastasis of cervical cancer, 6) calcium hydroxyapatite.
Many breast lesions are associated with microcalcifications that are detectable by mammography. In most cases, radiologists are able to distinguish calcifications usually associated with benign ...diseases from those associated with malignancy. In addition to their value in the early detection of breast carcinoma and accurate radiological diagnosis, the presence of microcalcifications often affects the extent of surgical intervention. Certain types of microcalcifications are associated with negative genetic and molecular characteristics of the tumor and unfavorable prognosis. Microcalcifications localized in the larger ducts (duct-centric, casting-type microcalcifications) represent an independent negative prognostic marker compared to lesions containing other types of microcalcifications and to non-calcified lesions. In this review, we summarize the theoretical and methodological background for understanding the clinical impact and discuss the diagnostic and prognostic value of microcalcifications detected in the breast by mammography.
While ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is known as a precursor lesion to most invasive breast carcinomas, the mechanisms underlying this transition remain enigmatic. DCIS is typically diagnosed by the ...mammographic detection of microcalcifications (MC). MCs consisting of non-stoichiometric hydroxyapatite (HA) mineral are frequently associated with malignant disease, yet it is unclear whether HA can actively promote malignancy. To investigate this outstanding question, we compared phenotypic outcomes of breast cancer cells cultured in control or HA-containing poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) scaffolds. Exposure to HA mineral in scaffolds increased the expression of pro-tumorigenic interleukin-8 (IL-8) among transformed but not benign cells. Notably, MCF10DCIS.com cells cultured in HA scaffolds adopted morphological changes associated with increased invasiveness and exhibited increased motility that were dependent on IL-8 signaling. Moreover, MCF10DCIS.com xenografts in HA scaffolds displayed evidence of enhanced malignant progression relative to xenografts in control scaffolds. These experimental findings were supported by a pathological analysis of clinical DCIS specimens, which correlated the presence of MCs with increased IL-8 staining and ductal proliferation. Collectively, our work suggests that HA mineral may stimulate malignancy in preinvasive DCIS cells and validate PLG scaffolds as useful tools to study cell-mineral interactions.
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