Immunomodulatory Effects of Anesthetic Techniques in Lung Cancer Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background and Objectives: Lung cancer represents one of the principal causes of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Despite the numerous novel therapeutic agents, surgical resection remains, in many cases, the mainstay treatment. A growing body of evidence indicates that the anesthetic technique of choice contributes to perioperative immunosuppression, thus having an impact on cancer recurrence and prognosis. The aim of this systematic review is to provide a thorough summary of the current literature regarding the modulation of the immune response induced by the various anesthetic techniques that are used in lung cancer surgery, with a particular emphasis on cellular immunity. Materials and Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane databases were systematically searched from November 2023 up to March 2024 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that met the eligibility criteria. Results: A total of seven RCTs were included. Four of the RCTs compared the administration of general anesthesia alone versus general anesthesia combined with epidural anesthesia. The subsequent meta-analysis showed that the combination of general and epidural anesthesia exerted a positive impact on the cell counts of the CD3+ cells (SMD -0.42, 95% Cl -0.70 to -0.13 24 h postoperatively and SMD -0.86 95% Cl -1.48 to -0.23 72 h postoperatively), the CD4+ cells (SMD -0.41 95% Cl -0.69 to -0.12 at the end of surgery and SMD -0.56 95% Cl -0.85 to -0.27 72 h later), and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio (SMD -0.31 95% Cl -0.59 to -0.02 immediately after surgery, SMD -0.50 95% Cl -0.86 to -0.14 24 h postoperatively, and SMD -0.60 95% Cl -0.89 to -0.31 72 h later). The pooled results regarding CD8+ and NK cell counts were inconclusive. The remaining three studies compared volatile-based anesthesia with total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA). Due to disparities between these studies, qualitative analysis was inconclusive, whereas quantitative analysis was not feasible. Conclusions: The supplementation of general anesthesia with epidural anesthesia favorably impacts CD3+ and CD4+ cell counts, as well as the CD4+/CD8+ ratio. The present results and the effects of anesthetic technique on other immune cells must be consolidated with further high-quality studies.