The Group Room is the nationally syndicated radio call-in talk show about cancer produced by Vital Options in association with Premiere Radio Networks, the nation's largest radio network. Each Sunday from 4-6 pm ET (1-3 pm PT) more than half-a-million listeners in select cites throughout the country tune into the live show, while others listen to the program simulcast over the Internet (www.vitaloptions.org).

"The new website will eventually provide other dimensions to the broadcast," said Selma R. Schimmel, founder and CEO of Vital Options and host of The Group Room. "For example, our June 24 show was broadcast live from Paris, France, Los Angeles and New York City simultaneously in English and French. This may well have been a first in radio history and our new website capabilities made it possible to stream the feed in both languages for those listening to the webcast.

"We are also very excited about improving our links to other cancer resources, which provide our visitors with the most up-to-date information about cancer information, clinical trials, treatment centers, oncology meetings and other support and advocacy organizations," Schimmel added.

The new site was designed by De Novo Medical Venture Marketing to reflect and accommodate the expansion of Vital Options International, the southern California-based, not-for-profit cancer communications, support and advocacy organization, which expanded into the European market earlier this year with several remote radio broadcasts from Germany, England and France.

"We specifically designed the website to create an infrastructure that would parallel Vital Options International's growth," explained Rick Cataldo, president and CEO of the Berkeley, Calif.-based De Novo. "We developed a data-driven platform to facilitate expansion and continuous updating of a large number of resources within an organized, informative and friendly site. In the future, we anticipate a number of new features, including real-time multimedia content to illustrate medical concepts being discussed during live broadcasts of The Group Room."

All phone calls to The Group Room are screened by a licensed oncology social worker. Callers can enter discussions by dialing 1-800-GRP-ROOM (1-800-477-7666). During the week, individuals can reach Vital Options for support or to receive more information about cancer resources or stations carrying the broadcast. Founded in 1983 when Schimmel was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 28, Vital Options was the first organization to address issues related to young adults with cancer before expanding to include issues and information related to everyone touch by cancer. In 2001, Vital Options was officially renamed Vital Options International to reflect its international expansion.

The Group Room is supported through educational grants from founding sponsor Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and corporate sponsors Ortho Biotech Products, LP, Pharmacia Oncology and Genentech BioOncology Inc.

Ortho Biotech Products, L.P., and Pharmacia Oncology are also the leading sponsors of Vital Options International's growth in the European market.