The Group Room(R) Cancer Talk Radio Show to Broadcast Live From the 41st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Sunday, May 15

The Group Room(R) Cancer Talk Radio Show to Broadcast Live From the 41st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Sunday, May 15

LOS ANGELES, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The Group Room -- the nationally syndicated weekly call-in cancer talk radio show -- will produce its annual live broadcast from the 41st meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Sunday, May 15, 2005, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla.

This special program will be produced in collaboration with ASCO's consumer website, PeopleLivingWithCancer.org. Since 1998, The Group Room has been broadcasting from ASCO, one of the largest and most important scientific oncology meetings in the world. The show will take place from 4-6 pm ET (1-3 pm PT) in front of Hall B3. The broadcast will present clinical highlights from the meeting, with a special focus on lung and breast cancer and a discussion on the advancements of targeted therapies. Physicians joining the panel include:

* Dr. Bruce E. Johnson, Chair, ASCO Cancer Communications Committee, and
Director, Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute Boston;

* Dr. Roman Perez-Soler, Chairman, Department of Oncology, Professor and
Chief, Division of Medical Oncology, Albert Einstein College of
Medicine, Montefiore-Einstein Cancer Center, New York City;

* Dr. Ronald Natale, Director of the National Lung Cancer Research
Program and Senior Research Advisor for the Solid Tumor Program for
Salick Health Care, Inc. Dr. Natale is an attending physician at
Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center Los Angeles.

"We're pleased to have The Group Room return for their 8th annual live broadcast from the floor of ASCO's Annual Meeting," said Bruce E. Johnson, MD, Chair of ASCO's Cancer Communications Committee. "This radio show provides a critical informational service to the patient community by presenting thoughtful perspective and expert review of the latest science advances in cancer care research. ASCO's award-winning patient information website, People Living With Cancer, is pleased to collaborate with the production of this year's show by providing expert analysis of how the cancer care research presented at this year's meeting will impact patients lives."

"The Group Room broadcast from ASCO is an important partnership and collaborative effort, allowing listeners to receive first hand the latest cancer news and meaningful clinical information. It also provides a rare opportunity for callers to speak directly with some of the world's most prominent oncologists and researchers," said Selma R. Schimmel, who is also the CEO and Founder of Vital Options(R) International.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world's leading professional society of multidisciplinary physicians who treat people with cancer. ASCO's more than 20,000 members from the U.S. and abroad set the standard for patient care worldwide and lead the fight for more effective cancer treatments, increased funding for clinical and translational research, and, ultimately, cures for the many different types of cancer that strike an estimated 10 million people worldwide each year. ASCO publishes the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), the preeminent, peer-reviewed, medical journal on clinical cancer research, and produces People Living With Cancer (www.plwc.org), an award-winning website providing oncologist-vetted cancer information to help patients and families make informed healthcare decisions.

Founded in 1983, Vital Options was the first national organization to singularly focus on young adults with cancer. In 1993, Vital Options expanded its work into cancer communications serving patients of all ages. Today, Vital Options is an international not-for-profit cancer communications, support and advocacy organization, headquartered in Southern California. The Group Room is now in its 10th year and airs live every Sunday in cities throughout the United States. Vital Options produces The Group Room in association with Premiere Radio Networks. The program can also be heard live via XM Satellite Radio Ask! Channel/XM165 or Internet simulcast at www.vitaloptions.org, where past shows are also archived. Callers enter on-air discussions toll-free by dialing 1-800-GRP-ROOM (1-800-477-7666) or sending their comments and questions by email to info@vitaloptions.org. This special feature of The Group Room will also be accessible through ASCO at www.plwc.org.

This special broadcast of The Group Room is supported through educational grants from corporate sponsors Genetech BioOncology, GlaxoSmithKline Oncology, Lilly Oncology and OSI Oncology.

Contact: Robert Schaefer, Vital Options, 1-818-788-5225

from May 12-17 at ASCO, Juliana Lee, 1-818-389-9809

Source: Vital Options

CONTACT: Robert Schaefer, +1-818-788-5225, or from May 12-17 at ASCO,
Juliana Lee, +1-818-389-9809, both of Vital Options

Web site: http://peoplelivingwithcancer.org/

Web site: http://www.plwc.org/

Web site: http://www.vitaloptions.org/

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