In order to assure optimal care of patients with chronic medical illnesses it is necessary to take into account the cultural factors that may influence health-related behaviors. By using cancer as a model, this paper discusses the major cultural issues that should be considered in order to increase cultural sensitivity in the medical setting: family function, sex roles, language, disclosure of disease-related information, pain, attitudes towards illness and health practices, immigration, region, autonomy versus dependency, and death and bereavement. Case histories illustrating the relevance of such socio-cultural factors in the cancer setting are reported.