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Palliative Care is medical care that helps improve quality of life for patients and their families. Our focus is managing symptoms that may occur during or after cancer treatment to make patients feel better.

Palliative care providers also help patients talk about values, goals, and medical decisions with their family and medical team.

Palliative Care may be requested the first time a patient learns that he/she has cancer. Our services can be combined with different types of cancer treatment. We also provide care after the completion of cancer-directed treatments.

The UNC Outpatient Oncology Palliative Care team has doctors, a nurse practitioner, pharmacist, nurse and support staff.  We work closely with dieticians, chaplains, and social workers to create a care plan in partnership with your oncologist. We use this plan to treat your symptoms, improve communication, and make your quality of life better.  We are available to all adult patients across our outpatient oncology clinics including medical and hematologic oncology, surgery, radiation oncology, and gynecology. Ask your cancer care team for a referral.  For patients admitted in the hospital, please ask your medical team about a palliative care consult.