The second international symposium on "Supportive Care in Cancer Patients" took place March 1-3, 1990-again in St. Gallen in eastern Switzerland. It was an honor once more to welcome dozens of internationally recognized experts in the field and more than 800 participants from over 30 countries around the world: Australia, Canada, China, USSR, USA and many countries in Europe. The international nature of the grade facilitated lively and exciting contributions and critical discussions, aimed at fostering professional knowledge and skills and rethinking our personal attitudes toward cancer patients in all stages of their disease. Cancer patients need various types of tailored support, whether during active initial (curative) therapies, in phases of worrying relapsing disease, or during the demanding terminal stage of their illness. The symposium tried to bridge the strange "gap" between "curative" and "palliative" cancer care: it must be our aim to be and remain "supportive" for our patients during both curative and palliative treatment strategies! This requires extended knowledge and even more and flexible professional skills. The symposium was designed to promote improved approaches that are helpful and supportive for all our oncology patients, not just for a selected disease-or stage- dependent minority.