Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in the United States, and more than 60 million U.S. women are living with some form of heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Growing research suggests that a test millions of women already receive to screen for breast cancer may also offer an important window into their heart health.
Routine mammograms can show breast arterial calcifications (BACs), which are calcium deposits in the vessels of the breast. BACs are not related to breast cancer, but research shows women with BACs on their mammograms could double the risk of having a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or a stroke.
“BACs can be a woman’s first sign of heart disease,” Dr. Nisha Parikh, director of cardiovascular disease at the Katz Institute of Women’s Health at Northwell Health in New York City, told ABC News.
Breast arterial calcifications are calcium deposits that can appear as bright lines on a mammogram.
They are different from the usual calcifications radiologists evaluate when looking for signs of breast cancer.
"Radiologists have been seeing arterial calcifications for years…they take a few seconds to spot, and this changes nothing about the standard mammograms [women] have been getting for years,” Dr. Tahira Ahmed, medical director of Breast Imaging at the Maryland Imaging Network- RadNet, told ABC News.
Having BACs does not mean that a woman has heart disease or needs treatment. Instead, research suggests that having the calcium deposits in the breasts can serve as an additional signal of elevated cardiovascular risk.
Doctors say once a patient’s report shows BACs, they may be referred for follow up testing and potential treatment.
“We will work with patients to modify risk factors, lower blood pressure, and lower cholesterol,” Parikh said. “Some patients may need extra testing based on their risk factors.”
A 2026 study involving approximately 25,000 women found that women with BACs on their mammogram had an 82% higher risk of future cardiovascular events.
“The association [of BACs to heart disease] is so strong, that it makes sense to make sure that we’re reporting this to patients,” Ahmed said.
Katherine Bormann, a patient whose mammogram showed BACs, told Good Morning America last year that she “would’ve never been to a cardiologist” if BACs seen on her mammogram had not prompted a referral.
She was subsequently found to have a severely blocked cardiac artery and underwent surgery to open the blockage.
Despite the growing evidence, there are currently no U.S. guidelines requiring BACs to be routinely included in every mammography report.
For now, specialists say the finding should be viewed as another piece of information that could help start a conversation about cardiovascular health.
Beginning October 1 of this year, Maryland became the first and only state in the country to require radiologists to notify patients about BACs seen on their mammograms, according to the American College of Radiology.
“This means for patients in Maryland is that they are going to get more information from their standard mammogram. Heart disease is actually the leading cause of death in women. Maryland women are going to be at an advantage,” Dr. Ahmed said.
Under the new law, mammogram result notices must explain that BACs are a common finding that may indicate an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and encourage patients with the finding to discuss their cardiovascular risk with a physician.
But some doctors and hospital systems elsewhere have already begun reporting BACs voluntarily.
Northwell Health in New York began universally reporting BAC findings on mammograms in early 2024, before any state required it.
From January through October 2024, Northwell reported BAC results on nearly 88,000 mammograms and identified BACs in about 13% of them. The health system said reporting the finding added minimal time to radiologists’ mammogram interpretation.
Northwell’s initiative is how Bormann found out she had coronary artery disease.
“If they didn’t look for it in me, who knows if I would be sitting here now,” Bormann said. “A mammogram saved my life.”
For continuing coverage on breast cancer please visit ABCNews.com/breastcancer.
Sanyukta Deshmukh, MD is a pediatric resident and a member of the ABC Medical News Unit.
