When cancer cure is unattainable or when extensive cancer treatment is not a practical consideration for the pet or its family, palliative measures can be undertaken to aid in improving a patient's quality of life. Palliative radiation therapy (PRT) is one modality that can be considered for a variety of tumor types. Although this treatment is not intended to cure cancer, doses of radiation therapy can be helpful for alleviating a variety of cancer-associated signs including pain, excessive bleeding of tumors, or obstruction of structures adjacent to large tumors. In this Specialty Update Dr. Vivian Fan discusses some of the indications for palliative radiation therapy (PRT) as well as findings of her survey of pet owners whose pets had undergone PRT. The goal of this multi-institutional retrospective study was to better understand how pet owners viewed their decision to provide PRT to their pets stricken with cancer, whether they perceived an improvement in their pets' quality of life, and whether or not they would make the same decision again (if faced with a similar situation). Discussion includes important takeaways and helpful information for the veterinary care team when speaking with clients about cancer and care options for their patients. Running time: 18 mins Member Fee: $9.95; Free registration for Premium VetVine Membership subscribers http://vetvine.com/article/181/evidence-based-update-subscriptions

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