Anesthetic Techniques and Long-Term Oncological Outcomes

Cancer is a leading cause of death, accounting for nearly one in six deaths worldwide. Surgery is a critical intervention in cancer care since it provides a chance of cure or can be used to relieve symptoms in patients with advanced malignancies. Anesthesia (general, regional, or local) and analgesia in any of its delivery modes play critical roles in the treatment and palliation of cancers.

Experimental data demonstrate that surgery itself and anesthetics can promote the growth of micro-metastatic diseases and the seeding of circulating cancer cells, thereby facilitating cancer progression. While this theory originates from in vitro and animal studies, evidence in humans has remained controversial until recently.

In this report, we summarize current published evidence on the impact of anesthetics and opioids on cancer progression. We focus our discussion on published human studies with special emphasis on randomized controlled trials.