Projected ABUS Growth

Although new technology and research has helped in the fight against breast cancer, death rates continue to be steady in women younger than 50, and continue to decrease in older women, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). This decline is believed to be a result of finding breast cancer earlier thanks to improved screening technology, better treatment options and widespread awareness.  

The ACS estimates that about 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed, and about 63,410 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed in women in 2017. More than 40,000 women will die from this disease this year alone.

The introduction of advanced technologies has made it possible to detect small cancer tumors as well as improve dense breast tissue scanning, and much of this technology has gained popularity due to its non-invasive, radiation-free and 3-D imaging features for breast cancer diagnosis. According to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc., this will help drive automated breast ultrasound system (ABUS) market growth.

Like traditional ultrasound, ABUS uses high-frequency sound waves targeted at the breast, but the scans provide physicians with a 3-D volumetric image of the entire breast. These 3-D images are more beneficial to women within the dense breast population because they allow radiologists the ability to check the breast from a variety of angles and offer a better interpretation. ABUS exams are also much shorter than traditional ultrasound, with some systems taking as little as seven minutes to perform a bilateral exam — less than half the time of some traditional ultrasounds. Because the transducer used in ABUS automatically scans the breast, the operator dependency is greatly reduced.

According to the report, increasing product innovation for development of more advanced breast cancer detection techniques will propel ABUS market growth, along with the fairly recent technological advancement of automated breast volume scanners (ABVS). The report states that the ABVS market is slated to exceed USD 950 million by 2024, growing at more than a 20 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Some of the benefits of ABVS include high reproducibility of images, reduced scan time and delivery of coronal view 3-D images with high sensitivity. It also provides high resolution imaging with innovative applications such as fatty tissue imaging and elasticity imaging. 

New technologies are being introduced by some of the industry’s key players. You can learn more about the growth of the ABUS market in this month’s feature, “ABUS Driving Personalized Breast Cancer Screening,” which can be found here.

You can also view the video “Innovative Breast Cancer Screening for Women with Dense Breast Tissue,” in which Monica Saini, M.D., consultant medical director — ABUS at GE Healthcare, discusses the necessity for personalized breast care, and how ABUS helps meet the challenges of screening and diagnostic imaging of dense breast tissue. You can find the video at http://bit.ly/2q2On0c.