Calcification is one of the clinical and morphological manifestations of ovarian tumors and it begins at the initial stages of carcinogenesis. Thus, this process can be used for the early diagnostics of some malignant ovarian tumors. We compared the results of ultrasound and histology and found that calcifications of a size less than 200 μm are not detected by ultrasound. These calcified structures are round fragile particles of different sizes. In the EDX (Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) spectra, the main lines were from Ca and P, and the ratio of these elements corresponds to hydroxyapatite. Thus, we established that hydroxyapatite is the main mineral component of ovarian psammoma bodies and could be used for early diagnostics of ovarian malignant neoplasia.

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Ectopic calcification or pathological biomineralization correlates with morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases. Aortas with atherosclerotic lesions and biomineralization were selected for the study. Thirty samples of mineralized abdominal aortas (group M) were examined by histology. Depending on the calcifications size, samples were separated into group M1 (macroscopic calcifications) and M2 (microscopic calcifications). Each group consists of 15 samples. Calcification 2 mm or less were considered as microscopic, >2 mm—macroscopic. Thirty samples of aortic tissue without biomineralization (group C) were used as a control group. Aortic tissue was examined by macroscopic description, histology, histochemistry, immunohistochemistry (IHC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with microanalysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results of IHC showed the involvement of OPN in the formation and development of pathological biomineralization, but the obvious role of OPN in the differentiation of macro- and microcalcifications of atherosclerotic aorta was not revealed. SEM with X-ray microanalysis confirmed that the biomineral part of the aortic samples of the M1 group consisted mainly of apatites, which correspond to previous studies. The Ca/P ratio was less in the M2 group than in the M1 group. It means that microcalcifications can be formed by more defective (immature) hydroxyapatite.

The detection of microcalcifications in the breast by mammography is of great importance for the early diagnostics of breast cancer. This study aimed to establish the basic morphological and crystal-chemical properties of microscopic calcifications and their impact on breast cancer tissue. During the retrospective study, 55 out of 469 breast cancer samples had microcalcifications. The expression of the estrogen and progesterone receptors and Her2-neu showed no significant difference from the non-calcified samples. An in-depth study of 60 tumor samples revealed a higher expression of osteopontin in the calcified breast cancer samples (p ˂ 0.01). The mineral deposits had a hydroxyapatite composition. Within the group of calcified breast cancer samples, we detected six cases of colocalization of oxalate microcalcifications together with biominerals of the usual “hydroxyapatite” phase composition. The simultaneous presence of calcium oxalate and hydroxyapatite was accompanied by a different spatial localization of microcalcifications. Thus, the phase compositions of microcalcifications could not be used as criteria for the differential diagnostics of breast tumors.

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