Head and Neck Cancer Diagnostics Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

Medical imaging is the technique and process of creating visual representations of the interior of a body for clinical analysis and medical intervention, as well as visual representation of the function of some organs or tissues (physiology). Head and neck cancer is a group of cancers that usually originate in the squamous cells that line the mouth, nose and throat. To confirm a diagnosis of cancer and determine if it has spread, head MRI, CT of the sinuses, head CT, panoramic dental x-ray, dental cone beam CT, PET/CT or chest imaging are some of the most common procedures.

Moreover, as per Gunnar Juliusson et al. report published in Acta Radiologica Open Journal 2019, the number of CT examinations per 1000 patients has increased from 51 in 2007 to 108 in 2017 in Europe. However this indicates that the more CT scans are being adopted and hence this is expected to positively impact the diagnostic imaging equipment market as well.

According to the National Health Institute, the head and neck cancer accounts for approximately 4% of all cancers in the United States. This type of cancer is found to be more than twice as common among men as they are among women. The researchers also estimated that more than 65,000 men and women in the country have been diagnosed with head and neck cancer in 2017. Thus, this huge disease burden will help in the growth of the market.

The Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program estimated that 53,000 new cases of oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer occur in the United States in 2019, making up 3% of all new US cancer cases. The SEER Program also estimated that such cancer cases would account for 10,860 US deaths in the year, making up 1.8% of all cancer deaths. Thus, the growth in these programs has helped in the overall growth of the market. In addition, with the rise in the head and neck cancer in the United States, there is an increased demand for diagnostic imaging and new advancements and innovations are seen in the treatment models, which help in the growth of the overall market.

Hence, the increasing geriatric population worldwide, combined with government and private body initiatives are some of the other factors contributing to the growth of the market.