Supportive care is the provision of the necessary services, as defined by those living with or affected by cancer, to meet their physical, informational, emotional, psychological, social, spiritual, and practical needs during the pre-diagnostic, diagnostic, treatment, and follow-up phases.

Supportive care is an umbrella term that covers a wide range of services, provided by a wide range of individuals and organizations. These services include self-help and peer support, the provision of information and education, psychological support and therapy, pain and symptom control, social support, rehabilitation, complementary therapies, spiritual support, palliative care, and bereavement care.

Adapted from Cancer Care Ontario. Supportive care. Internet. Accessed on July 14, 2016.

The prevention and management of the adverse effects of cancer and its treatment. This includes physical and psychosocial symptoms and side effects across the entire continuum of the cancer experience, including the enhancement of rehabilitation and survivorship.
There is considerable overlap and no clear differentiation between the use of the terms "palliative care" and "supportive care." However, "supportive care" should not be used as a synonym of "palliative care." Supportive care is part of oncological care, whereas palliative care is a field of its own extending to all patients with life-threatening disease.

Radbruch L, Payne S and the Board of Directors of the EAPC. EAPC update. White Paper on standards and norms for hospice and palliative care in Europe: part 1. European Journal of Palliative Care. 2009; 16(6).