Each year, 7 million new cancer cases are diagnosed, half of them in developing countries.1 The cancer data that we have available for Colombia reflect only the incidence, pathology, and survival after total cure. According to the Colombia National Center for Statistics (DANE), the cancer incidence increased 14% during the last decade, and during 1990, a total of 20,000 new cases were reported.* During the last 10 yr, the number of cancer pain relief and palliative care programs in Colombia has increased as a response to the needs and the problems faced by the country’s terminally ill patients. These programs started thanks to the effort of individuals who for many years worked alone and during their free time, committing personal resources and slowly gaining recognition from professionals in other areas. Many of these individuals are now working in multidisciplinary groups under different settings, but they all share the same objective: an increase in the quality of life of incurable patients. These are the most important programs: 1. La Viga, Cali. La Viga is a nonprofit, private foundation that operates as a freestanding, 52-bed hospice. The house, located in the outskirts of Cali, is surrounded by trees and a lake. It was founded in 1971 as a shelter for tuberculosis patients, but as the incidence of tuberculosis decreased, the house opened its doors for cancer patients. The house was originally run by a nun community, which provided food, beds, and some nursing care to patients. In 1989, Dr. Liliana De Lima and Dr. Pedro Bejarano presented a palliative care program to the board of directors and, since