Malignant calcification is an important unfavorable prognostic factor in primary invasive breast cancer

Aims To explore the clinical characteristics and prognostic value of malignant calcification in operable breast cancer. Methods A total of 721 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma were divided into two groups based on whether malignant calcifications were observed on mammograms. The association of calcification with pathological features and survival were evaluated. The relative importance of each of the potential prognostic variables was tested using a Cox regression analysis. Results Compared with tumors without calcification, those with calcification had a larger tumor size, more lymph node involvement, lower estrogen and progesterone receptor expression and higher human epithelial growth factor receptor 2 expression. The 8‐year relapse‐free survival was lower for patients with calcifications than for those without (77.5 vs 89.2%, P