(ABUS) Automated Breast Ultrasound Global Market Research Report 2022
Market Overview
Breast cancer is one of the top causes of mortality for women globally, with more than 8% of women developing the disease over their lifetime. Automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) is a new ultrasonography technique that was made to consolidate breast ultrasonography and get around some of the problems with handheld ultrasound (HHUS), such as the fact that HHUS is dependent on the operator and takes a lot of medical time to do and understand. This innovative ultrasound approach separates picture capture (which may alternatively be conducted by a technician) from image interpretation, boosting repeatability while decreasing operator dependency and physician time.
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Furthermore, multiplanar reconstructions provide new diagnostic information, particularly the coronal view. With these benefits, ABUS has the potential to be utilized as a supplementary technique to mammography, particularly in the thick breast, where mammography has poor sensitivity. Women’s knowledge of breast density dangers is a hot subject, particularly in the United States, where legislative breast density notification rules promote demand for additional ultrasound screening.
In 2012, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) as an extra screening tool for women with breasts that are both different and very dense. Approval became attainable after the crucial clinical retrospective multi-reader research conducted by U-Systems. The study comprised 164 patients, 133 non-tumors, and 31 cancers confirmed by biopsy. First, each mammogram was looked at by its group of 17 radiologists. Then, the mammograms and ABUS were looked at together. The researchers discovered that ABUS had a clinically negligible drop in specificity compared to screening mammography alone (76.2% vs. 78.1%; p = 0.48). ABUS is a method that separates the time it takes the radiographer to take a picture from when it takes the doctor to figure out what the picture means. Furthermore, coronal reconstructions provide novel diagnostic information. As a result, this approach was created to standardize breast ultrasonography and minimize some limitations of handheld ultrasound (HHUS), such as operator reliance and examination time.
Clinical validation
SomoInsight is the largest study examining how well ABUS can diagnose breast cancer in a screening setting. It included 15,318 asymptomatic women with dense breasts. By linking ABUS to FFDM, the detection rate increased by 1.9 per 1000 women, boosting sensitivity by 26.7%. When the two strategies were used together, the recall rate went up (284.9 per 1000 women, compared to 150.2 per 1000 women just for mammography). The recall rate drops with growing ABUS experience, and double reading might be a way to reduce this rate during the early stages of adoption. ABUS, in conjunction with FFDM, plays a vital function, particularly in screening programs.
ABUS Compared with HHUS
They included 113 individuals who had mammographic screening and had a worrisome finding, after which they had HHUS and an additional ABUS exam. The procedures classified each breast and lesion independently, separating them into two groups: breasts with mammography suspicion of cancer and breasts with negative mammography. In all, 26 malignancies were found in 25 of the women.
Both ABUS and HHUS had a sensitivity of 88% in mammogram-suspicious breasts, while HHUS was 93.5% specific and ABUS was 89.2% specific. The two procedures have 100% sensitivity for breasts with negative mammography, 100% specificity for HHUS, and 94.1% for ABUS.
ABUS Compared with MRI
A high correlation (k = 0.83) exists between ABUS and MRI for lesion assessment. Giacometti et al. examined ABUS and HHUS as second-look procedures for analyzing 131 MRI patients. High risk of getting breast cancer, B3 type lesions, and evaluation of response to neoadjuvant treatment.
Regarding the detection rate (69.3% for ABUS and 71.5% for HHUS), the two approaches had almost identical findings (k = 0.94). In 58 patients who received preoperative breast MRI, the researchers assessed the effectiveness of second-look ABUS and second-look HHUS in detecting new worrisome lesions. Second-look ABUS found 70 of the 80 new lesions, HHUS recognized 65 of the 80 lesions, and 10% of the lesions observed at ABUS were not visible at HHUS.
ABUS as a Time-Saving Method
In contrast to HHUS, which is conducted by doctors and takes 20 minutes for each patient, the radiologist’s involvement in ABUS is limited to picture review since the technician acquires the images. Several studies investigated how long it takes a doctor to report an ABUS exam. Skaane et al. found a mean interpretation time of around 9 minutes per patient (approximately 4 minutes per breast for a normal examination and 5 minutes per breast in patients with questionable results).
Market Trend
Automated Breast Ultrasound Devices (ABUD) The market is estimated to increase at a CAGR of more than 14% from 2022 to 2030, with a volume of more than USD 1.5 billion in 2021. The global increase in breast cancer incidence will drive the development of automated breast ultrasonography equipment. Obesity, age-related hazards, limited childbearing, and hormone replacement treatment increase breast cancer incidence. Furthermore, heavy alcohol intake, smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle may raise cancer risk.
In 2018, the worldwide market for automated breast ultrasound was estimated to be worth $1.2 billion; between 2019 and 2026, that figure is forecast to develop at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 15.0%.
Growing worries about breast cancer have resulted in the implementation of national breast screening programs worldwide. Government efforts and population-based screening programs, such as ASSURE, sponsored by the European Commission to identify early symptoms of breast cancer in women, will drive the usage of ABUS.
Product Segment
Between 2022 and 2030, the automated breast ultrasound systems market share from the breast volume scanner (ABVS) specific product is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 14%. Using a scanner, ABVS assesses volumetric pictures of the breast and properly examines lactiferous ducts using high-frequency ultrasound. This ultrasound method has many benefits, such as 3D reconstruction, not using radiation, saving time, being able to be done repeatedly, and being sensitive to thick breast tissue.
End users
In 2021, hospitals’ automated breast ultrasound systems market represented a 45% share of the worldwide industry. The use of ABUS in hospitals is gaining traction to meet patients’ diagnostic requirements. Demand for ABUS and ABVS in these healthcare settings will rise as young, and middle-aged women become more aware of how important it is to get regular cancer screenings. Because pregnant women cannot be subjected to mammograms because of the danger of radiation exposure, hospitals are installing ABUS to provide safer diagnostic choices.
Regional Analysis
By 2030, the market for automated breast ultrasound systems in Asia-Pacific is expected to be worth more than USD 2 billion. Breast cancer diagnostic and treatment awareness is receiving more regional public and private assistance. The growing number of healthcare facilities has made APAC a popular destination for medical tourists. Every year, almost 2 million individuals from the Middle East and Africa, as well as neighboring countries such as Nepal and Bangladesh, go to India for medical treatment.
Market Dynamics
Growth Drivers
Increasing technical progress in automated breast ultrasonography systems
Mammography has limited capacity for people with thick breast tissue.
Breast cancer awareness is growing, as are positive government actions.
Globally expanding national breast screening programs.
In the United States, reimbursement for breast ultrasonography and digital breast tomosynthesis has been increased.
Over the next few years, the Automated Breast Ultrasound System (ABUS) market will likely grow because more women are becoming overweight.
In 2016, about 13% of adults worldwide were overweight or obese, with 15% of women and 11% of men being obese. After midlife, women who are overweight or obese are more like to get breast cancer.
With more adipose tissue in the body, the risk of developing breast cancer rises as estrogen levels rise. Furthermore, increased levels of insulin, another hormone, are associated with
increased consumption of energy-dense foods rich in fat and carbohydrates, as well as a rise in physical inactivity as a result of a more sedentary lifestyle and growing urbanization
Prevalent in overweight women, which has been related to several malignancies, particularly breast cancer, which is projected to raise demand for these systems in the coming years
Growth Restraints
The automated breast ultrasonography system devices are expensive.
In poor nations, there is a lack of understanding of ABUS.
In developing countries, there aren’t enough qualified or trained people.
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on automated breast ultrasound systems market trends
Due to rigorous lockdowns undertaken to reduce transmission during the COVID-19 epidemic, the ABUS industry’s revenue share fell somewhat. The epidemic significantly increased hospitalization rates globally. Governments worldwide struggle to maintain healthcare facilities due to insufficient funds and equipment availability. Medical equipment makers were also confronted with manufacturing challenges due to the suspension of trade with China, one of the largest raw material suppliers.
Key Players
Some of the biggest players in the market for automated breast ultrasound systems are :
SonoCine Inc.
Fukuda Denshi
Koninklijke Philips N.V.
Hologic, Inc.
Hitachi, Ltd.
Telemed Medical Systems
Siemens Healthineers AG
General Electric Company
Canon Medical Systems Corporation
Questions and Answers
The global market for automated breast ultrasound was expected to be worth $1.34 billion in 2019 and to grow to $1.54 billion by 2020.
Between 2018 and 2026, the global market for automated breast ultrasound is expected to grow at a rate of 15.0% every year, reaching USD 3.58 billion.
In 2019, automated breast ultrasound systems had the largest market share at 55.10% and are expected to grow the fastest over the next few years.
Some of the main competitors in the automated breast ultrasound market are Hologic,Hitachi, Ltd., ELEMED Medical Systems, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Fukuda Denshi, Inc., General Electric Company,Siemens Healthineers AG,Canon Medical Systems Corporation
The growth of the market is driven by things like the increasing number of people with breast cancer, new technologies, and different efforts around the world to raise awareness about the disease and how to treat it.