Previous research in this area shows these deposits can be studied by shining a light through the breast and identifying changes in the light caused by the presence and composition of the calcifications.

Breast calcifications are quite common and often not associated with cancer. But certain patterns of calcification can show that a cancer may be growing in the breast - but doctors often need further tests to make this clear.

The research looked at breast tumours which had already been diagnosed using existing methods of mammograms and biopsies. Further research with larger numbers of samples is needed to determine exactly how calcifications affect breast tumours.

Sara Hiom, director of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: "The NHS screening programme is important in detecting breast cancer and saving lives. These results suggest that developing a test for calcifications could further improve screening by providing a more detailed diagnosis about the tumour and potentially avoiding the need for biopsies in some cases."

Source: Cancer Research UK