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Bringing palliative care to a Canadian cancer center: the palliative care program at Princess Margaret Hospital

Supportive Care in Cancer volume 14, pages 982–987 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

It is increasingly recognized that complete care of the patient with cancer includes palliative care, which is applicable early in the course of illness, in conjunction with life-prolonging treatment. Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) is Canada’s largest center for cancer care and research, and it is an international referral center for patients with cancer. The Palliative Care Program at PMH has developed into a comprehensive clinical, educational, and research program, with an acute palliative care unit, daily palliative care clinics, a cancer pain clinic, and a consultation service that sees urgent consultations on a same-day basis in inpatient and outpatient areas. We will describe the components, successes, and challenges of our program, which may be useful for others, who are developing palliative care programs in an academic setting.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Princess Margaret Hospital, 610 University Ave., 16th Floor, M5G 2M9, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Camilla Zimmermann, Dori Seccareccia, Allyson Clarke & Gary Rodin

  2. Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Camilla Zimmermann & David Warr

  3. Department of Family Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Dori Seccareccia

  4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Gary Rodin

  5. Department of Medical Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

    David Warr

Authors
  1. Camilla Zimmermann
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  2. Dori Seccareccia
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  3. Allyson Clarke
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  4. David Warr
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  5. Gary Rodin
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Correspondence to Camilla Zimmermann.

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Zimmermann, C., Seccareccia, D., Clarke, A. et al. Bringing palliative care to a Canadian cancer center: the palliative care program at Princess Margaret Hospital. Support Care Cancer 14, 982–987 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-006-0093-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-006-0093-y

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