A common misconception surrounds palliative or supportive care for cancer, which is that these are synonymous with hospice care. Although end of life care is an important part of cancer management, the aim of this talk is to focus on quality of life interventions that can be made starting at the time of diagnosis. Many tumors can be associated with pain, secondary infection, or changes in overall quality of life. Therapeutic strategies may vary depending on tumor type and location. For example, the anti-inflammatory of choice may be a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory for some tumors, but a corticosteroid in others. When is chemotherapy an appropriate adjunctive therapy for palliation and when is it potentially not worth the risk? This talk will emphasize the clinical management of cancer patients by integrating the owners’ goals and maintaining quality of life.
Oncology
Presented by Jennifer Willcox, DVM, DACVIM
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medical Oncology at University of California, Davis
Presented at WWV 2019