Modern nursing ought to apply rigor and reliability to the human aspect of care. Basically, the goals of oncology and palliative care nursing have not changed; which are to alleviate suffering and comfort patients and their families deal with life-threatening illness. Yet, modern oncology and palliative care nursing should assume leadership roles in practice, education and research.Hence, the modern nurse faces the dilemma of how to keep up with the accumulating new knowledge, whereas the individual patient and his family are kept as the focus. Patient-centred care has been and should always remain as the motto for nursing, whether it be in the hospital, community or at home. Further, honesty should remain as the cornerstone for nursing practice at all stages of the disease trajectory. Now, as before, palliative care nurses have the obligation to provide meaningful service and play a pivotal role in the multidisciplinary care for cancer patients and their families.