50 - Snake skin-like, skipping stone-like and string-of-pearl like calcifications

The aggressive, Grade 3 cancer cells developing in the major lactiferous ducts may undergo necrosis or may produce proteinaceous fluid. Necrosis results either in the characteristic fragmented casting type/rod-like calcifications when the tumor growth pattern is "solid" (covered in other lectures) or in the snake skin-like calcifications when the tumor growth pattern is micropapillary (covered in this lecture).
This lecture also illustrates two less familiar cancer subtypes originating in the major ducts, having micropapillary and cribriform tumor growth patterns that produce fluid, but have little or no necrosis. These two very specific types of microcalcifications may be formed within the viscous intraductal fluid: the "skipping stone-like" and "string of pearl-like" calcifications. Each of the breast cancer subtypes originating from the major ducts can be considered to be a duct forming invasive cancer (neoductgenesis). The outcome of these cancers is unpredictable, often fatal.