With the growing demand for digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) systems, or 3-D mammography, the mammography market is estimated to reach $607.6 million by 2022 in the U.S. According to iData Research, digital mammography systems — including both 2-D and 3-D — will completely replace analog systems.

“The installed base and average selling price of mammography imaging systems will increase, driven by the unit sales of [digital breast tomosynthesis],” said Dr. Kamran Zamanian, CEO of iData, in a statement. “By 2022, no analog mammography systems are expected to be sold, as they will be their digital counterparts.”

The report states that 2-D digital mammography systems make up 60 percent of installed mammography systems, and that there is an increase of physicians who are recommending ultrasound and MR for women who have dense breasts.

Hologic is leading the breast imaging market with its Selenia DR and DBT systems since it was the first company to receive FDA approval in 2011, almost four years before another competitor.

GE is said to be the next leading company in the U.S. breast imaging market with its SenoClaire, which, in 2014, was the second to receive FDA approval for a DBT system.

The report cites analog, computed and digital mammography, digital breast tomosynthesis, manual and automated breast ultrasound, gamma imaging, positron emission mammography and breast MR coils as breast imaging systems.

Other companies in the breast imaging market include Philips Medical Systems, Siemens Healthcare, Fujifilm, Toshiba, SuperSonic Imagine, SonoCiné, CMR-Naviscan, Hitachi, Gamma Medica Inc., Dilon Technologies, Machnet B.V. and Planmed OY.

Another market analysis, conducted by RnR Market Research, projects the global breast imaging market to exceed $4 billion by 2021. It mentions that North America will dominate the breast imaging market because of an increase in breast cancer diagnoses, positive reimbursement, more advancements in breast modalities, and a new breast density law in the U.S.

The RnR report predicts tomosynthesis will have the highest compound annual growth rate due to the benefits that it has over other technologies.

Those benefits are highlighted by a 2014 study published in JAMA comparing conventional mammography outcomes with tomosynthesis outcomes. The findings showed tomosynthesis detected 41 percent more invasive breast cancers and reduced screening recalls by 15 percent.

A feature article in the July issue of HCB News magazine entitled "Will breast tomosynthesis completely replace 2-D mammo?" takes a comprehensive look at the factors impacting the future of the two modalities.

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