The effects of anesthetics on tumor progression

More and more cancer patients receive surgery and chronic pain control. Cell-mediated immunosuppression from surgical stress renders perioperative period a vulnerable period for tumor metastasis. Retrospective studies suggest that regional anesthesia reduces the risk of tumor metastasis and recurrence. This benefit may be due to the attenuation of immunosuppression by regional anesthesia. On the other hand, accumulating evidence points to a direct role of anesthetics in tumor progression. A variety of malignancies exhibit increased activity of voltage-gated sodium channels. Blockade of these channels by local anesthetics may help inhibit tumor progression. Opioids promote angiogenesis, cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. It will be interesting to examine the therapeutic potential of peripheral opioid antagonists against malignancy. Volatile anesthetics are organ-protective against hypoxia, however; this very protective mechanism may lead to tumor growth and poor prognosis. In this review, we examine the direct effects of anesthetics in tumor progression in hope that a thorough understanding will help to select the optimal anesthetic regimens for better outcomes in cancer patients.