Abstract:
In veterinary medicine, we face many barriers for appropriately managing cancer, and more
specifically the pain associated with cancer. This article reviews the possibilities for managing
pain in oncologic patients, the different ways to assess their pain and the advantages and
disadvantages of the several options for pain relief. The biggest obstacle that appears when
trying to manage cancer pain in companion animals is diagnosing the pain before it’s too late,
due to its terminal characteristics. Despite the therapeutic options, oncological or cancer pain
remains an obstacle for patient’s comfort and welfare during their illness. Practitioners need to
recommend and treat cancer pain in a multimodal individualized way, by pharmacological or
physical agent modalities. The management of oncological pain in veterinary medicine raise
complex concerns over recognition, assessment and treatment and needs further researches in
order to establish standardized protocols. |
