
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 19, 1994                   TAG: 9401190068
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

STUDY: SOME WOMEN NEED A LITTLE NAGGING

Women whose doctors or insurers nag them a little about mammograms, with letters or phone calls, are more likely to get the potentially life-saving tests, researchers reported Tuesday.

Although the number of women getting mammograms doubled from 1987 to 1990, 38 percent of U.S. women considered candidates for mammograms never have had one, according to research published in the American Journal of Public Health.

In a series of studies on mammography, scientists found many older women do not know that the test is recommended to detect early breast cancer even if they do not have symptoms or risks for the deadly disease.

They concluded that doctors should educate women about mammograms and found that simple mailed and telephoned reminders can help dramatically for little cost.

"There's a core group of women out there who aren't getting the message about the importance of mammograms," said Dr. Eunice King, a behavioral researcher at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. "They need more personalized contact."

Breast cancer takes 46,000 lives a year in this country. Studies indicate that routine mammography reduces the death rate by one-third for women over age 50.

King studied women who received cancer information and a referral for a free mammogram from a Philadelphia health maintenance organization.

Of the first 2,127 women who were mailed the information, King followed 745 who did not get tested initially.

She sent 381 of them a letter on stationery from the health maintenance organization that urged them to make an appointment quickly. Forty-two percent got the test, compared with 28 percent of women who were not reminded. The cost was 91 cents per successful reminder.

Another 2,123 women were mailed the packet from the health maintenance organization. Of these, 1,710 did not get a mammogram and were mailed a reminder; 598 women still were not tested.

by CNB