Mammographically detectable breast arterial calcification and atherosclerosis

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging and Atherosclerosis Research

Background:

• Breast arterial calcification (BAC) is an incidental finding on mammograms, indicating degenerative changes in mammary arteries.
• Increasing age is associated with a higher prevalence of BAC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing literature on the association between breast arterial calcification (BAC) and atherosclerosis.
• To evaluate BAC as a potential predictor of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted using OVID and PubMed.
• 25 relevant studies, totaling 35,542 patients, were included for data abstraction and statistical analysis.
• Odds ratios and forest plots were utilized to assess the association between BAC and various cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions.

Main Results:

• A majority of studies demonstrated a significant relationship between BAC and coronary artery disease (CAD), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and associated mortality.
• BAC showed low sensitivity but high specificity in predicting cardiovascular events.
• BAC was found to be predictive of incident and prevalent stroke, cerebral artery disease, carotid artery disease, and peripheral artery disease, but not stroke mortality.

Conclusions:

• Breast arterial calcification (BAC) is associated with coronary and systemic atherosclerosis.
• BAC demonstrates high specificity for cardiovascular disease but requires further large-scale prospective studies to clarify its role as a surrogate marker.