Supportive and palliative care for cancer patients

It is well known that supportive and palliative care are a necessity in cancer patients, as early on, as the time of diagnosis. Palliative care should not be mistaken with end of life care. Palliative care for cancer patients means caring for patients from all aspects. Besides best medical treatment, patients receive adequate psychological, spiritual, social, nutritional care etc. The focus is on the patient.It has been shown that integrating supportive and palliative care in the management of cancer patents not only improves their quality of life, it can also have an impact on their survival. New models of integrating early palliative care will be discussed.Iran, like many other countries, needs many more supportive and palliative care units. As palliative care is not financially lucrative, charities play a major role in setting up, maintaining and expanding these units.