title: Oncology pain in veterinary patients.
abstract: Cancer, cancer pain, and the undertreatment of cancer pain are epidemic in both the human and veterinary medical field. Concerns over recognition, assessment, and treatment of oncologic pain in our veterinary patients are multiplied when one realizes the interaction of the primary tumor, the pain itself, and even cancer treatments with fatigue, disability, dyspnea, weakness, impaired gastrointestinal motility, cognition, and urinary/defecation issues. The patient's overall health status, as well as owner psychological and spiritual distress, plays a large part in quality-of-life decisions. We will discuss classification and assessment of cancer pain, quality-of-life issues, and therapies for managing cancer pain, including pharmacologic, nonpharmacologic, and interventional techniques. The goal will be establishment of a new oncologic treatment pyramid or scale for veterinary patients, one that will guide clinicians mechanistically into thinking through the anamnesis, physical examination, and assessment of the whole patient, and on toward diagnostics and treatments available for companion animals with cancer.
authors.affiliation: Cornell University Hospital for Animals, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA. ALL11@cornell.edu
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Looney
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002415:Cats; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D004285:Dogs; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D059408:Pain Management; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000928:Antidepressive Agents