Mammograms May Reveal Heart Disease Risks Through Breast Arterial Calcification

Calcification Appears As Tram Tracks

Routine X-ray screenings used to detect breast cancer may also show calcium deposits in small breast arteries. These deposits create a thin white parallel line pattern known as a tram-track appearance on the images. While this finding is harmless to breast tissue, it indicates a significantly higher risk for cardiovascular disease. Laxmi Mehta MD from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center notes that BAC links to diabetes and high blood pressure.

Doctors Connect Breast And Heart

Cheng-Han Chen MD at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center states calcium in breast arteries suggests disease in heart and brain vessels. Richard Reitherman MD PhD from Orange Coast Medical Center explains that cardiovascular disease kills one person every minute in the United States. He adds that this condition is the leading cause of death for premenopausal women who often lack typical chest pain symptoms.

Reporting Standards Need Improvement

Mehta says BAC has historically been an incidental finding not considered clinically relevant from an oncologic standpoint. There is currently no standardization on quantifying the severity of these deposits nor a requirement for mammogram reports to include them. Medical literature increasingly reports outcome studies that include breast arterial calcifications as a specific risk factor for heart health.