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The Group Room^®: A Syndicated Radio Cancer Support Group

^a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA; ^b Vital Options®, Encino, California, USA

Correspondence: Michael B. Van Scoy-Mosher, M.D., Attending Physician, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8631 West Third Street, Suite 600 E, Los Angeles, California 90048, USA. Telephone: 310-659-9397; Fax: 310-854-3028; e-mail: mbvsm{at}aol.com

ABSTRACT

"The Group Room" represents a new concept in cancer support groups. It is an internationally syndicated weekly radio talk show allowing participation by patients, their families, and friends, from any location, and with total anonymity. The show is hosted by a cancer survivor and noted patient advocate, along with an oncology specialist and a therapist; accompanying them each week are other patients and people touched by cancer. All join in a discussion of topics of importance to each individual, and respond to questions called in by listeners. Oncologists are often interviewed by phone so that new advances and concepts are brought to the audience. It is hoped that the show will be a useful resource to patients, and a place to which oncologists can confidently refer their patients for education and support.

Key Words. Social support • Patient education • Group processes • Counseling

Until February 11, 1996, all cancer support groups were essentially local and community based. Excellent as they often were, by their very nature they could only be of assistance to a relatively small number of patients, and generally only to those who were ambulatory, willing to travel to a group meeting, and able to share their feelings in a public forum. With the development of "The Group Room," a new vista has been opened in support of those with cancer, and their families.

The concept was a natural extension of the work being done by Vital Options^®, a non-profit organization founded by Selma Schimmel in 1984. For a decade, Vital Options provided free support and educational groups for young adults with cancer, which consisted primarily of traditional support groups involving in-person meetings led by a licensed clinical therapist or social worker. An experimental program was begun in 1990, wherein Vital Options sponsored meetings of groups in separate cities, linked by videoconferencing. These "TeleSupport^®" meetings were quite successful and demonstrated that people could derive benefit without necessarily being in the same room as the others in the group, or with the therapist. Vital Options and its collaborators at the USC Annenberg School of Communications received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the International Teleconferencing Association for this project. A natural progression of this model was to put the group on the radiowaves and invite people around the country to participate. No longer would people have to travel away from their homes to be part of a support group, and they could participate totally anonymously. People could be reached in their cars, homes, and hospital rooms; they could interact, with minimal effort, with other patients and cancer experts from around the country.

Selma Schimmel was put in contact with Premiere Radio Networks of Los Angeles, and particularly with CEO Steve Lehman, and their Executive Vice President and Director of Programming, Tim Kelley. Tim believed that such a program could be effectively produced, and agreed that there was a nationwide unmet need for this type of support group. The program debuted on WOR in New York as a collaboration between Vital Options TeleSupport Cancer Network and Premiere Radio Network. The Group Room is now heard in 23 cities throughout the United States and Canada, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Dallas, and Montreal. A major step toward ensuring the success of the show was taken when two major pharmaceutical firms enthusiastically signed on. The founding sponsor was the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, followed by the corporate sponsor, Ortho Biotech, Inc. Both have provided major financial support for the program in the form of unrestricted educational grants.

The show is hosted by Selma Schimmel, herself a breast cancer survivor and patient advocate. She is accompanied in studio by an oncologist (to answer medical questions and to guarantee that only accurate information is given out), an experienced therapist (to focus on the emotional issues), and several patients or family members of someone who has or who has had cancer. Equally important, however, are the listeners who are encouraged to call in with any question or issue of concern. The discussions are candid, concise, informal, sometimes confrontational, sometimes humorous, and always dealing with what is really on people's minds. All calls are pre-screened by a licensed social worker who also is responsible for assisting with referrals after the call is completed.

The format of the show varies somewhat from week to week. Programs may be topic-oriented, such as reproductive issues after therapy, employment problems, sexuality, fatigue, or the impact of the diagnosis on friends and family members. Most of the programs, however, are open discussions of whatever topics the listeners or in-studio guests bring up. Often there are interviews, by phone, of experts around the country on their particular area of interest or research. This has included representatives of the NCI, ASCO, ONS, NCCS, and many of the Cancer Centers and patient advocacy organizations in the United States. An attempt is made to discuss any "late-breaking" news or topics believed to be of particular immediacy and relevancy. Although many of the callers ask a seemingly straightforward medical question, The Group Room tries to probe behind that question to bring out a possible underlying emotional need or tension accompanying it.

Examples of the calls received include:

• A grandfather called in to express his sadness and fears about the prognosis of his young granddaughter. The Group empathized with him and suggested a local support group he might join. The "normalness" of his response was supported.
  
• A 45-year-old woman with Stage II breast cancer had been advised to receive chemotherapy; she had little understanding of the concept of adjuvant chemotherapy and its successfulness. The reasoning behind the therapy and its utility were explained to her, and an effort was made to give her a positive attitude about it. She, too, was referred to a local support group.
  
• A woman was in the process of a re-evaluation for her cancer, and she was very frightened it might be recurring. Her fears and anxieties were explored, and some information was given about how such a possible recurrence might be treated. She called back the next week to announce that the tests were negative; the Group rejoiced with her.
  
• A woman was concerned about a lump in her breast, although her doctor told her it was nothing because her mammogram was negative. Advice was given that a negative mammogram does not necessarily guarantee the lump is not cancer, and that she might seek a second opinion.
  
• A man with HMO insurance was concerned that there was too much delay in the evaluation of his possible cancer. This led to a discussion of managed care, its pros and cons, as well as some advice to him as to how to deal with his physicians and his insurance.
  
• An older woman is concerned that because she has had breast cancer her daughters are destined to develop it also. Some basic discussion of cancer genetics and familial tendencies ensued.
  
• A young man whose father was diagnosed two years ago with bladder cancer learned that his father should look into the possibility of participating in a clinical trial, testing new drug therapies. The son appreciated the expression of new ideas and of hope in general.
  

There are many themes that are repeatedly addressed on the show, including guidelines on how best to communicate with your physician, or how best to cope with your health insurer, when to seek second opinions, how to deal with family and co-workers after a diagnosis of cancer, questions about alternative cancer therapies, and when seeking a clinical trial might be appropriate. The Group Room is quite supportive and appreciative of accepted medical practice, while at the same time it attempts to be open-minded and understanding of the reasons people may seek alternative approaches to the treatment of their cancer. The physicians on the program often have the opportunity to explain to the public their own attitudes in relation to patients so that more mutual understanding is promoted.

It is planned in 1998 to take the show out of the studio and broadcast it live from remote locations, such as at the national meeting of ASCO and THE MARCH, upcoming in September in Washington, DC. The Group Room also hopes to develop CME-credited sessions for health professionals. The Group Room is a valuable asset to oncologists. It is a place to which they can refer their patients with the confidence that they will receive supportive, accurate, and comforting information.

The Group Room can be reached on the air at 1-800-GRP-ROOM. The program can also be accessed in real time on the Internet at http://www.vital options.org and http://www.premrad.com/guests. During non-program times it can be reached at grproom{at}aol.com, or at 818-508-5657.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This program is supported by unrestricted educational grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Ortho Biotech Inc.

accepted for publication December 3, 1997.

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