August 27, 2014 — National population-based screening programs for asymptomatic women aged 40 and above have been established in many European countries for early detection of breast cancer. With every passing year, this population cohort is expanding, spurring breast cancer screening rates and fuelling the need for breast imaging systems. With the number of women being diagnosed with breast cancer also bound to increase, the adoption of equipment for procedures such as biopsy and image guidance too will grow.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, “Analysis of the European Breast Imaging Systems Market,” finds that the market earned revenues of $988.3 million in 2013 and estimates this to reach $1,384.2 million in 2020. The study covers X-ray mammography, breast ultrasound, breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), molecular breast imaging (MBI) and breast computer-aided detection (CAD).
While mammography has been considered the 'gold standard' for breast screening, adjunct technologies such as breast ultrasound, breast MRI and MBI too are gaining traction as they improve the standards of diagnosis and treatment of breast cancers.
"The European market will continue to evolve as breast imaging systems vendors look for innovative technologies to battle the increasing rate of false positives and overcome limitations while scanning women with dense breast tissue," said Frost & Sullivan Healthcare Research Analyst Raghuraman Madanagopal. "3-D tomosynthesis, automated breast ultrasound and MBI are the results of such technological innovations that ensure maximum efficiency and minimum error rates.
However, sporadic reimbursement trends across countries may lead to equally sporadic uptake of these advanced modalities for breast imaging. While the more commonly performed mammography and the less expensive ultrasound procedures are reimbursed sufficiently, the trend changes for costly procedures such as MRI and MBI.
To overcome this restraint, many breast imaging facilities in Europe are employing multi-modality screening. This, in turn, is expected to drive the use of supplementary modalities such as breast ultrasound.
"Research studies in recent years have validated the benefits that multi-modality screening provides over regular mammography screening, since one modality can overcome the limitations of another," noted Madanagopal. "In accordance with this validation that a multi-modality approach improves the efficiency, specificity and sensitivity of breast cancer screening procedures, a wide product portfolio will be a core competitive factor in the European breast imaging systems market."
For more information: www.frost.com
