Palliative care is essential for enhancing a cancer patient's quality of life and decreasing his or her pain during the last days of life. This article describes the services provided by the Continuing Care Unit in the Pain Therapy Division, National Cancer Institute, Milan, Italy. The palliative care team of this unit, composed of physicians, nurses (both hospital and home care), psychologists, a social worker, and volunteers, provides constant support to patients in the hospital and at home. It also teaches the patients' relatives to provide home care and to monitor the patients' pain and functioning.
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