The Irish Cancer Society (ICS) is attempting to raise €1.5 million from this year's Daffodil Day campaign to fund an expansion of its palliative care services.
Dr Liam O'Siorain, a consultant in Palliative Medicine in St James Hospital in Dublin, said: "Palliative care is a highly specialised area where total care is offered to a patient with a progressive illness when it is recognised that the illness is no longer curable."
"Patients have a right to that type of care in their home," he said. "The Irish Cancer Society needs to grow its night-nursing service and extend it into every community in the country to meet that demand."
He called on the public to support this year's campaign which takes place next month on March 19th.
The society funds 250 nurses who provide a night nursing service to the terminally ill. ICS chief executive Mr John McCormack says this service allows patients to stay at home for as long as possible.
"If we could not continue to grow and develop this service, many patients would have no other option but to be admitted to hospital in the terminal phase of their illness, often against their wishes," Mr McCormack said.
Last year the society raised €3 million from the campaign but the target for this year is €3.3 million. The organisation estimates that 21,000 Irish people will develop cancer this year and 7,800 will die of the disease.
Cancer-related illnesses cause one-quarter of all deaths in the Republic. Over 95 per cent of patients facing terminal illness and availing of palliative care services suffer from cancer.