Efficacy of gabapentin as pain management of T2-T4 feline facial squamous cell carcinoma treated with electrochemotherapy.

Electrochemotherapy (ECT) presents an effective alternative for local tumor management, particularly valuable when surgery is not feasible. The side effects are generally mild, including local inflammation, edema, and changes in pigmentation or alopecia. However, severe side effects such as necrosis, dehiscence, or fistula formation may occur if the tumor involves the full tissue thickness. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of gabapentin in managing pain in cats with facial squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) staged T₂-T₄ (N₀M₀) treated with ECT. A subjective survey outlining typical quality of life measures was given to owners and compared to the veterinarian's assessment of reaction to palpation of the tumor affected area. Pain assessment was conducted based on a questionnaire provided to the owner and during clinical examination at several time points: before the first ECT treatment (D0), seven days after (D1), at 14 days after and just prior to the administration of the second session (D2) and finally, 28 days after the first session (14 days after second ECT session) (D3). Cats were randomly divided in two groups: a control group (CG) composed of cats that received only NSAID's for analgesic protocol in the post-ECT for acute pain management, and gabapentin group (GG) composed of cats that, in addition to NSAID's, received gabapentin for long-term pain management. Statistical analyses showed that patients treated with gabapentin had better quality of life (QoL) and pain assessment scores than those in the control group at various observation times. In cats with advanced stages of facial SCC, the disease is associated with pain, which may be exacerbated by ECT, requiring close monitoring both immediately after treatment and in the long term. Furthermore, ECT is an effective treatment for cats with facial SCC.