The US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued new breast cancer screening guidelines that lower the recommended age for mammograms from 50 to 40 years of age.
The Task Force now recommends that all women get screened for breast cancer every other year starting at age 40. More research is needed on whether or not women with dense breasts should have additional screening with breast ultrasound or MRI, and on the benefits and harms of screening in women older than 75. [1]
The updated recommendations are expected to significant boost to the mammography equipment market.
Growth projection
Valued at US $1.9 billion in 2021, the global mammography equipment market is projected to reach a staggering US $4.3 billion in 2030. This projection is based on a forecast from GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
“The guidelines come as an anticipated change due to the gradual rise of breast cancer in women between 40 and 49 over the years,” noted Aidan Robertson, Medical Analyst at GlobalData.
“While the current system may handle any immediate increase in requests for screenings, we can still expect some long-term growth in mammography equipment sales as more imaging installations are needed to meet the prolonged demand of the younger age range,” Robertson added.
Major companies such as Hologic, which have the largest share in the mammography equipment market and have products in 2D digital mammography, breast tomosynthesis and retrofit breast tomosynthesis, may benefit significantly from this recommendation.
“The overall direction of the mammography market is shifting away from film-screen mammography towards computer-based modalities that we see in digital. Digital mammography has been shown to be as good as and, in some cases, better at breast carcinoma detection while also improving the mammogram workflow,” Robertson further noted.
“However, the main drawback is the increased cost which is the main barrier to digital mammography growth. Despite the financial downside, the advantages of digital imaging technologies are becoming clearer and as a result we may see film-screen mammography become obsolete,” Robertson said.
Within the digital mammography segment, breast tomosynthesis or 3D mammography is the main driver while retrofit breast tomosynthesis is offering more affordable options for upgrading 2D systems which is leading to higher sales.
“The expansion of the recommended breast screening age range along with the advancements in digital mammography may contribute to the stable growth of the mammography equipment market going forward,” Robertson concluded.
Reference
[1] US Task Force Issues Draft Recommendation on Breast Cancer Screening. May 9, 2023. Online. Last accesses on May 17, 2023.
Featured image: Nurse Assisting Patient Undergoing Mammogram, Photo courtesy: © 2026 – 2023. Fotolia/Adobe. Used with permission.
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