Can you interpret?

What does it mean when a mammogram says "subtle calcifications? Are these usually benign?

[CCF-RN,MSN-JS]

Dear LizInOrlando, Calcifications are tiny specks of calcium deposits that light up on the mammogram.  The pattern of the calcifications whether scattered or clustered are more or less suspicious of a abnormality.  You cannot tell from a mammogram if something is benign or malignant, only if it is more or less suspicious and should be followed up on.  It is hard to say what the radiologist means specifically by "subtle" whether they mean dim or perhaps that there are few.  I would ask your doctor to help you with clarifying the meaning.