U.S. Markets for Breast Disease Detection and Diagnostic Technologies

Over the past several years, breast cancer has become one of the most significant health risks in the United States (U.S.). With more than 211,000 cases diagnosed in 2005, invasive breast cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed malignancy in women in the U.S. (nonmelanoma skin cancers were the most frequently diagnosed malignancy). In 2005, breast cancer resulted in approximately 40,000 deaths in the U.S., second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer mortality in women in the U.S.A woman in the U.S. currently has a 1 in 7 lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, compared to a risk of 1 in 8 in 2002. In 2005, more than 2 million women living in the U.S. had been diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer.