Mary Lou Smith on Bringing Better Cancer Care to the Community

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines bring the practices of cancer care thought leaders out to the community, said Mary Lou Smith, JD, MBA, co-founder of the Research Advocacy Network.

She shared her own experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer. Because she worked in healthcare, Ms Smith knew to get a second opinion, which gave her the option of having a lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy.

“I was given a different option than I would have been given out in the community,” she said. “And that mad me angry, actually, because I didn’t feel that was fair to other women.”