Experts Available To Discuss Mammograms, Breast Cancer Treatment.

TOPIC: Researchers from Dartmouth Medical Schools released a survey that shows women aged 40 and older are not getting mammograms as often as recommended, according to an article by USA TODAY. Previous surveys suggested that four out of five women were getting regular mammograms every year or two. However, a recent study, which relied on a database reflecting actual visits to 40 New Hampshire mammography facilities, found only two-thirds of New Hampshire women in that age group were receiving mammograms. Experts believe doctors need to be more insistent about reminding women to get mammograms. Experts also advise women to take responsibility for their own health and specify a time to go in for their annual or biennial screenings.

EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

Dr. James Ronald Gray, Jr. is partner at Radiation Oncology Associates and a staff radiation oncologist at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center, Centennial Medical Center, Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Gray is also an expert on the emerging trend in the treatment of breast cancer involving the use of a temporarily inserted radioactive source, termed Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI).

Dr. John S. Link is an internist and oncologist who has been an active member of the Long Beach Memorial medical staff since 1977, serving as Department of Medicine Chair 1989-1990. He is the founding Medical Director of two Memorial Care Breast Centers, one at the Memorial Hospital (ranked by Self magazine as one of America's ten best breast centers) in Long Beach, California and one at Orange Coast Memorial Hospital in Fountain Valley. He is also the Medical Director of the Pacific Coast Breast Center in Torrance. Dr. Link is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Oncology, and is a member of the American Society of Breast Disease and American College of Physicians. Dr. Link is a clinical assistant professor of Medicine at the University of California-Irvine, College of Medicine and is an international lecturer/teacher and researcher. He has presented over 40 major courses on breast cancer management since 1988. He is the principal research investigator for the National Cancer Institute approved National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project (NSABP) and NSABP Breast Cancer Prevention Trial and is co-investigator for the Southwest Oncology Group Project #15858. Dr. Link is dedicated to the advancement of breast cancer research. He believes that each woman's situation is as unique as she is, and her treatment plan should be based on compassion and excellence.

Dr. Joyce O'Shaughnessy is currently a breast cancer researcher and practitioner at Texas Oncology, P.A. in Dallas and is Associate Director for clinical research for US Oncology. She is also Director, Chemoprevention Research and Co-Director, Breast Cancer Research for US Oncology. Dr. O'Shaughnessy's major area of research interest is the development of breast cancer, and she is involved in several ongoing chemoprevention studies. Dr. O'Shaughnessy did her internship and residence in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by her fellowship in medical oncology at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She served as special assistant to the NCI director from 1988 to 1990 and coordinated the development of new cancer drug approval guidelines for the NCI and Food and Drug Administration. Dr. O'Shaughnessy then served as a Senior Investigator in the Medical Breast Cancer Section of the NCI from 1990 through 1995. In this role, she conducted many breast cancer treatment clinical trials, including evaluation of high-dose chemotherapies and hematopoietic growth factors, new cytotoxic drug combinations, novel hormonal treatments, monoclonal antibody and gene therapies for breast cancer. Dr. O'Shaughnessy also has served as principal investigator on several tissue-based breast cancer prevention clinical trials involving the administration of fenretinide, tamoxifen, and other SERMs to women at high risk for the development of breast cancer. Dr. O'Shaughnessy has been published and spoken widely on new prevention and treatment strategies for breast cancer.

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