[Experience and feelings of the nurse in the pediatric oncology unit]

The role of the nurse in the Pediatric-Oncology Unit is determinant. The nurse is the connecting ring between the family, who faces the tragedy, and the hospital. Cancer is a disease which threatens the life of the child more than any other illness nowadays. The experiences and the feelings of these specialized nurses depend on the phase of the disease which reflects the overall prognosis of the child. The nurse therefore, is obliged to face all the special problems which are related to the disease itself and to the needs of each child. These problems have to be solved by the nurse at the time of diagnosis, during the remission of the disease, while in relapse, when off therapy as well as close to death. Knowledge, patience, affection, sensitivity are all qualities which make the nurse "sine qua non" in the team which takes care of children with cancer.