More than 65,000 young adults in their 20s and 30s are diagnosed with cancer each year and it is the leading disease killer among 20- to 39-year olds. In addition to the unique psychosocial concerns that young adults face, such as fertility, cognitive function, long-term effects, education, insurance and employment, young adults with cancer have had less survival improvement than either younger or older patients, and strides made in cancer treatment have bypassed young adults. Young adults also have the lowest participation rate in clinical trials of any age.

"Never before has the topic of young adults with cancer received so much attention-from the nation's prestigious cancer centers, from leading cancer foundations, and from the government-and Vital Options and The Group Room have been there before anyone. Thanks to National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week, the media and the public are beginning to pay attention, too," said Archie Bleyer, MD, Medical Advisor to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Oregon and Director of Aflac Research Projects in Adolescent & Young Adult Oncology for the Children's Oncology Group (COG).

National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week was launched in 2003 by Vital Options in commemoration of its 20th anniversary, having been founded in
1983 as the first organization specifically for young adults with cancer. "While Vital Options: Support For Young Adults With Cancer may have laid an early foundation to support the recognition of this specific patient population, it has taken more than two decades to fully appreciate the broad scope of clinical concerns that impact young adult cancer survival. National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week is an opportunity to educate the public, align the cancer advocacy community, and help influence the direction of young adult oncology," said Selma Schimmel, founder and CEO of Vital Options International and host of The Group Room. Schimmel was diagnosed with breast cancer in her twenties.

National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week(R) is a collaborative effort of Cancer Care, Inc., the Lance Armstrong Foundation, LiveSTRONGT Young Adult Alliance, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, Lymphoma Research Foundation, National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, OncoLink, People Living With Cancer (www.plwc.org) - the patient information website of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Planet Cancer, Testicular Cancer Resource Center, Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults, The Wellness Community, and the Young Survival Coalition.

"Young adults with cancer in their 20s and 30s slip into a no-man's land on every front: medical, psychosocial and financial," said Doug Ulman, Chief Mission Officer at the Lance Armstrong Foundation. "It is critical that we raise awareness of the consequences of this reality and ensure that young adults have the opportunity to live strong."

Joining The Group Room panel will be:

--Joseph Bailes, MD, Interim Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), partner with Texas Oncology, P.A., and has served as Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center;

--Brandon Hayes-Lattin, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Center for Hematologic Malignancies, Medical Director of the new Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program, Oregon Health and Science University Cancer Institute, Portland, Oregon;

--Heidi Adams, Founder & Executive Director, Planet Cancer; and

--Randi Rosenberg, Immediate Past-President, Young Survival Coalition

Now in its 11th year, The Group Room is produced by Vital Options International in association with Premiere Radio networks and is heard on select radio stations throughout the country as well as on XM Satellite Radio's Ask! 165 Channel, and is simulcast on the Internet at vitaloptions.org, where past shows are also archived. Programs are also available via Podcast. 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.

Vital Options International is a not-for-profit cancer communications, support and advocacy organization headquartered in Southern California, with a European division based in Paris, France.

Contact: Juliana Lee, Vital Options International Tel: 818-508-5657 E-mail: jlee@vitaloptions.org