| Objective: The past a few decases have witnessed an increasing in the incidence of breast carcinoma in our country. As the most useful screening method, mammography takes an important role in the detection and diagnosis of breast carcinoma. Among the different x-ray features, microcalcification signs on mammography are the most significant reference parameters in the screening and diagnosis of early carcinoma, especially intraductal breast carcinoma. Clinical data showed that microcalcification could be seen in approximately 40% of all breast carcinoma cases and 90% ductal carcinoma in situ cases were found bases on microcalcification signs in x-ray. Thus, it is very important to explore the relationship between X-ray microcalcification signs and pathological features and to elucidate the pathological bases, possible mechanism of formation of microcalcification in breast carcinoma.It is considered traditionally that the formation of breast microcalcifica- tion is a passive and degenerative process, caused by necrosis of cancer tissues. Recent researches demonstrated that the formation of some heterotopic calcification may be an initiative and regulated process, many calcium-related proteins and cell factors involved in the process. As bone matrix phosphorylation glycoproteins, osteopontin (OPN) and osteonectin (ON) take part in the mineralization of bone tissue. It was found that OPN and ON may also be involved in the formation of blood vascular calcification and kidney stone. Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), one of the important bone growth regulatory factors, is of great significance in the induction of osteoplast. Breast carcinoma microcalcification belongs to heterotopic calcification. Up to now, the following questions are still not clear: are the breast carcinoma cells siminlar biologically in some part to osteoblasts? What roles of OPN, ON and BMP-2 may take in deposition of calcium salt and the... |
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