BOSTON -- Many Americans were surprised by recent figures showing that the number of women who get annual mammography to screen for breast cancer, is dropping.

"We were stunned by that too," said Dr. James Michaelson, of Massachusetts General Hospital's Division of Surgical Oncology. He said MGH has spent ten years studying why women don't get mammograms. He has found that the vast majority -- 80 percent of women under age 50 -- have had one screening. But the problem is, they don't come back.

"One major barrier is language," Michaelson said. "It seems logical that if you speak Chinese, and you get a postcard in English reminding you of your mammogram, it's not going to be so helpful. Computers will provide that reminder message in the language that the woman wants."

Michaelson is now spearheading a $1.3 million effort by Susan G. Komen for the Cure to set up a computer system that will call women automatically to remind them of their mammography appointments. The pilot study will offer the reminder program to any mammography office within Route 128 that wants it.

NewsCenter 5's medical editor Dr. Timothy Johnson reported that other barriers that prevent women from getting screened include a lack of insurance, long wait times for an appointment, and women thinking they are too busy, or thinking they don't need a mammogram.

Another "major obstacle to a woman getting a mamo would be fear," said Dr. Valerie Fein-Zachary, a radiologist.

Sometimes, that fear is unwarranted.

"I really try to encourage women to come in, because more times than not it's going to be a benign finding," said Fein-Zachary.

Mammography is a simple, proven test that can mean the difference between life and death.

"If we could simply help remind women to go for their appointments, we could save tens of thousands of lives in this country," said Michaelson. "Research showed that if women went every year, we would have an enormous reduction in death. We could have a 90 percent breast cancer survival rate in this country. We have a 60 to 70 percent rate now."

The computer-assisted reminder system will be free for doctors for the next three years.. After that, if they find it useful, mammography centers could keep it going for as little as five cents per call.