Some Areas Lose Mammogram Centers

More than 500 facilities that conduct mammograms, X-ray procedures that detect breast cancer, closed in the U.S. from 2001 to 2004, a development that may keep poor or uninsured women from being screened, a report said.

The number of mammography centers fell by 538, or 6%, over the three years, the Government Accountability Office said in a report. While the remaining 8,768 centers can meet the need in most parts of the country, women in some counties had to wait a long time or travel a long distance to be screened, the report said.