Breast cancer remains one of the most urgent health challenges facing women in the United States. In 2025, the American Cancer Society estimates that about 316,950 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.

Each year, more than 42,000 women lose their lives to breast cancer. It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women aside from nonmelanoma skin cancers and it is the second leading cause of cancer death, behind only lung cancer.

These numbers reveal just one part of the picture: Around 50% of women have dense breast tissue, which makes cancers harder to detect on conventional mammograms because both dense tissue and tumors appear white. This masking effect often leads to delayed diagnoses. Cone beam breast CT has been shown to improve detection in dense tissue, addressing one of the most persistent challenges in breast imaging.

Another reality is that many tumors do not cause symptoms in their earliest stages. Without reliable imaging, cancers are often discovered later, when treatment is more complex and outcomes are worse. Mortality is also unevenly distributed as Black women, for example, face a significantly higher risk of dying from breast cancer despite similar rates of diagnosis. This disparity reflects differences in stage at diagnosis, access to timely treatment, and broader systemic inequities.

The age profile of breast cancer is also shifting. In 2022, 27,136 women younger than 45 were diagnosed. This number has been climbing at about 0.7 percent per year since 2001. Because routine examinations are less common in younger women, their cancers are often caught later. This makes the case for more accessible, accurate, and comfortable imaging stronger than ever.

This is what breast cancer looks like in the United States today: It is common, it is deadly for tens of thousands, it is harder to detect in many women, and it is often diagnosed later than it should be.

Now imagine what breast cancer could look like if every woman had access to early, painless, 3D imaging.

Our Koning Vera Breast CT is an FDA approved cone beam breast CT system designed specifically for breast imaging. Instead of compressing the breast between plates, the system captures a complete volumetric dataset in about ten seconds. The exam is comfortable, quiet, and fast. Radiologists are then able to view isotropic slices of the breast from any angle.

With this technology available to every woman, dense tissue could no longer present a barrier. Radiologists could examine structures with clarity, even when conventional imaging fails. Early stage tumors, sometimes invisible in two dimensional imaging, could be revealed sooner. That means more cancers could be treated at their earliest and most curable stage.

The patient experience would also change. With no compression and only seconds on the table, the exam is not intimidating. For many women, the discomfort of conventional diagnostic imaging is a deterrent that leads to delayed or skipped exams. A calm and comfortable exam increases adherence, which is critical for effective population-wide imaging.

The broader impact would be felt at both personal and systemic levels. Families would face fewer late stage diagnoses and fewer grueling treatment regimens. Health systems would see lower costs associated with advanced disease. Survival rates would improve, while disparities tied to late detection would begin to narrow.

This is the future that is possible when awareness turns into action. Breast cancer in the United States could become a disease that is routinely found early, treated less aggressively, and survived more often. The numbers could fall, the anxieties could ease.

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, awareness must mean a commitment to ensuring that women everywhere have access to breast imaging that is accurate, early, and truly patient-centered. Only then can we begin to change what breast cancer looks like in this country.

Koning wishes you a meaningful, future-ready October!

Disclaimer

The information provided in this blog post is for general educational and awareness purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any questions about breast health or treatment options. While the Koning Vera Breast CT is FDA-approved for diagnostic imaging of the breast, its use and availability may vary by clinic and should be discussed with your physician. Individual results and experiences may differ.