Few diseases get as much public and media attention as breast cancer.

But are women really getting the message about recommended annual screening tests?

A recent study looked at medical registries, and found 36 percent of women over 40 had either never had a mammogram or hadn''t had one in over two years.

Jerri Adams works in the health care field and was surprised when she realized she hadn''t had a mammogram in three years. Jerri Adams, a breast cancer survivor, says, "I guess I just got busy with my life and my job and helping raise grandkids and it just got away from me. I was shocked to hear about how long it was."

But for Jerri, a mammogram in 2003 was a life-saver. Doctors found a tumor. One too small to have been felt or discovered any other way.

She had surgery and radiation and is now cancer free. "So now I''m the poster child for mammograms because I know how important they are," she says.

The American Cancer Society recommends annual x-rays or mammograms to check for breast cancer every year for women over 40. Those women should also get a clinical breast exam performed by a doctor every year.

A study at Darmouth Medical School found one in three women have never had a mammogram. Many get one or two and never go back.

Dr. William Gillanders at the Siteman Cancer Center says, "It''s probably the same reason people choose not to go to the dentist. They''re just scared. Scared that it may be uncomfortable, scared that it may be costly, scared of what they may find."

Mammograms aren''t perfect. Five to 15 percent of tumors are missed in spite of the x-ray. "But it''s still the best place to start," says Gillanders.

Jerri challenges women to check their calendars for the date of their last mammogram. And don''t be surprised if more time has passed than you imagined.

"I''m doing great. I''m a survivor and I''m happy. But don''t let it get away from you. Do not. It''s so important," says Adams.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.