Mobile mammography services continue to move forward in the St. Louis region with unveiling of Siteman Cancer Center’s new mammography van.

Equipped with high-resolution 3-D digital technology, the van provides the same advanced imaging that patients receive at Siteman’s four St. Louis area mammography clinics. Washington University radiologists who specialize in breast imaging read all Siteman mammograms, whether the exam takes place in the van or at a clinic.

The 40-foot van is the fourth in three decades for Siteman Cancer Center.

In 2015, the mammography van served nearly 4,000 women at more than 100 sites:

• 1,287 women at 35 office parks and other corporate locations
• 1,239 women at 40 community locations, including Schnucks and Shop ‘n Save grocery stores and YMCAs
• 1,369 medically underserved women through our outreach program at 30 additional sites throughout the area

3-D imaging, also called tomosynthesis, uses X-rays to create multiple images. Then a computer digitally recreates the breast, allowing the radiologist to page through the scans on a computer screen like pages in a book or on an iPad or Kindle.

Each exam takes about 20 minutes, and the exam fee is billed to the patient, her insurance company or Medicare. Results are reported to the patient and her physician within seven to 10 days.

The Siteman Cancer Center van is certified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is sponsored in partnership with Washington University’s Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, whose board-certified radiologists review all digital mammography images.

To make an appointment, call 800.600.3606. Women should bring their insurance card to the appointment. For those without insurance, assistance is available. Call 314.454.8466 for more information.

For more information about mammography van dates and locations, visit the Siteman mammography website.