Anesthetics impact on cancer recurrence: What do we know?

Surgery is an important component of treatment in cancer patients. However, surgical stress, anesthesia, and perioperative analgesia interfere with the host immune defense mechanisms and may contribute to metastatic dissemination of malignant tumors and cancer progression. Little is known about the effects of anesthesia on tumor recurrence. In vivo studies and clinical data show some evidence that regional anesthesia is beneficial for cancer patients as it may decrease the risk of metastasis. This short review summarizes the clinical data on the possible association between anesthesia, perioperative analgesia, and the risk of cancer recurrence. Most of the clinical reports are based on retrospective studies, and properly designed prospective trials including a sufficient number of patients is required to reveal the interaction of various anesthetic drugs and methods and cancer progression.