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Can Anaesthetic and Analgesic Techniques for Cancer Surgery Affect Cancer Recurrence and Metastasis?

  • Regional Anesthesia (CJL McCartney, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Surgical resection of primary tumours may be curative; however, mortality from metastasis remains high. Metastasis is a complex process and cancer cells need to evade the host’s immune system and the ability to proliferate, migrate, invade adjacent tissues and angiogenesis, in order to successfully metastasise. At the time of surgery, a number of conflicting factors may influence the development of tumour metastases. Recently, it has been hypothesized that perioperative factors including anaesthetic and analgesic techniques could affect metastasis after cancer surgery. This review summarises the current evidence supporting and refuting this hypothesis from experimental, animal and retrospective clinical studies. The results of ongoing, prospective clinical trials are required before a causal effect of anaesthetic–analgesic technique on metastasis can be proven.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anaesthesia, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Laura Marshall, Abdul Hameed Khan & Donal J. Buggy

  2. Outcomes Research Consortium, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Donal J. Buggy

Authors
  1. Laura Marshall
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  2. Abdul Hameed Khan
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  3. Donal J. Buggy
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Correspondence to Donal J. Buggy.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Regional Anesthesia.

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Marshall, L., Khan, A.H. & Buggy, D.J. Can Anaesthetic and Analgesic Techniques for Cancer Surgery Affect Cancer Recurrence and Metastasis?. Curr Anesthesiol Rep 5, 190–202 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40140-015-0108-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40140-015-0108-7

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