Palliative care is now an integral part of the undergraduate medical curriculum. Medical education across the board is adopting a case-based approach. This book uses a series of cases to illustrate critical points in palliative medicine. The case-studies have been carefully chosen to reflect real life clinical practice. The contributors illustrate, through the case studies, the desired skills, attitudes, and knowledge required in this field of medicine. The second edition of this popular book continues to offer a panoramic view of palliative care. The new edition introduces a number of new topics, new authors, and a thorough update on continuing chapters. It includes material on non-malignant disease which is an integral part of palliative care. The text distinguishes between evidence-based practice and common practice which has yet to be verified by research studies. Each chapter includes a brief section at the end containing a commentary on future trends and promising areas of research.