Many people who suffer from cancer need surgery at some poing, but this kind of a procedure creates stress and anaesthesia may be hazardous for the natural defense systems of the body which is why anaesthesia may be related to the recurrence of cancer. However, surgery is often the only choice for people who suffer from this severe illness.
Anaesthesia may be general and regional which means that it is applied locally. “Regional anaesthesia has the potential to reduce the use of certain anaesthesia and pain medications that are injected into the vein or inhaled into the lung, as well as to attenuate surgical stress” (Cakmakkaya, Kolodzie, Apfel and Pace). This kind of anaesthesia is less detrimental for health than general anaesthesia.
There was a study conducted on patients who had to go through the surgery of the abdominal region and they received epidural anaesthesia. The recovery was observed for more than 7 years after the treatment of the abdominal cancer. “Surgical stress per se, anaesthetic agents and administration of opioid analgesics perioperatively can compromise immune function and might shift the balance towards progression of minimal residual disease” (Cakmakkaya, Kolodzie, Apfel and Pace). For the time being the best possible solution is to use the regional anaesthesia.
Cancer causes the death of most people across the globe and there is usually a surgery involved in treating this illness. The “current data are sufficient only to generate a hypothesis that an anaesthetic technique during primary cancer surgery could affect recurrence or metastases, but a causal link can only be proved by prospective, randomized, clinical trials” (Heaney and Buggy). Metastasis may occur because of the surgery and there is a correlation between the anaesthesia and the recurrence of cancer.
There has been an improvement in the therapy of cancer, but it still kills many people each year. “During 2008, 12.7 million new cancer cases were diagnosed worldwide, with 7.6 million cancer-related deaths during that period” (Heaney and Buggy). More than a thousand people die each day and more and more people are getting cancer at least once per lifetime. Anaesthetics is involved in the process of surgery which is necessary for the treatment of growths. The metastasis are developed because of these factors which are a necessary part of the surgery procedure.
It is important to mention metastasis because these are the man indicators of the cancer which is spreading. “Metastasis is a complex process, the onset of which is heralded by the detachment of metastatic cells from the primary tumour and completion signified by tumour proliferation within a distant organ” (Heaney and Buggy). The cancer cells spread and infect the greater area of the organism because of the fact that the immune system is not in the best shape. The tumor spreads which makes it less possible to be treated which is why people eventually die. Therefore, there is a relationship between anaesthesia and cancer recurrence because of the fact that it weakens the organism although it removes the growths.
Anaesthetics are used all the time even though the effect they have on the body is not examined in the proper way. However, medicine is in the constant advancement and this is the best way that people have invented to numb the part of the body or to numb the whole body in the case of the general anaesthesia. “A surgical operation is stressful for the body, and several studies have shown that, after surgery, recurrence of neoplastic disease can occur” (Fogale, D’Arrigo, Triollo, Mondello and La Torre). However, if there were a less aggressive way of treating cancer, doctors would have adopted it. Medicine is improving all the time and there is constant research being conducted which means that less aggressive methods might be possible in the future.
The procedures which prepare the surgery are crucial for the management of cancer because it may decrease the amount of stress which affects the body. “Surgery also increases chances of tumor growth and metastasis, due to release of circulating cancer cells during surgical resection of cancer and to the inability of the immune system to neutralize them” (Fogale, D’Arrigo, Triollo, Mondello, La Torre). The period which comes after the surgery is also important because of the fact that analgesics and anesthetics have effect on the tumor that has been treated in a surgical way. There certainly is a link which connects the anesthesia and the cancer recurrence but further research is still necessary.
The long-term consequences of anaesthesia have been acknowledged and they are related to the pre-operative as well as to the post-operative treatments. The point is to understand the outcome of the surgery which treats cancer which should be observed during several years after the surgery. If there is the infection after the surgery is might lead to the appearance of the metastasis. “. It has long been recognized that anaesthetists play a role in preventing postoperative wound infection. The role of the anaesthetist in improving long-term outcome after cancer surgery is still emerging“ (Snyder and Greenberg). Tumors are still predominantly treated by surgery which involves the use of anaesthesia. There are still cells of tumor which remain after the procedure and it is clear that having surgery may encourage the appearance of matastases.
Although there has been much progress in oncology, there is still a great mortality rate due to cancer. Most people who develop cancer are older than 55, but younger people are affected as well. Anaesthetics are a necessary part of surgery and “the possible interaction between anaesthetic technique, cellular immunity and cancer recurrence has been studied over the years. Some, but not all, evidence suggest that anaesthetic technique may impact cancer recurrence rates” (McCausland, Martin and Missair). That is why the pre-operative and post-operative techniques are important as well. This kind of surgery is oncologic and the immune system is affected because of the stress. This stress is necessary for the removal of the growths, but there is always some residue which can be turned into metastases.
There is certainly a relationship between anesthesia and recurrence of cancer, but it can be prevented in certain cases then the treatments prior to the surgery and after the surgery are handled with care. Every doctor wants to cure their patients, but sometimes, the illness can come back which is especially the case with cancer. It affects too many people every day all around the world and makes them vulnerable after they go through the surgery. Therefore “we may have to consider the conflicting evidence presented before us and adjust our current clinical practice in those oncologic patients where there are sufficient data to support an ‘anti-cancer’ anaesthetic” (McCausland, Martin and Missair). The surgery is the inevitable part of the treatment of cancer and anesthesia will remain to be an integral element as well.
Works Cited
Cakmakayya, O S., K Kolodzie, C C. Apfel, and N Pace. "Anaesthetic techniques for risk of malignant tumour recurrence." Cochrane. N.p., 7 Nov. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. <http://www.cochrane.org/CD008877/ANAESTH_anaesthetic-techniques-for-risk-of-malignant-tumour-recurrence>.
Heaney, A, and D J. Buggy. "Can anaesthetic and analgesic techniques affect cancer recurrence or metastasis?" British Journal of Anaesthesia (2012). Web. 22 Apr. 2016. <http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/content/109/suppl_1/i17.full>.
Fodale, Vincenzo, Maria G. D'Arrigo, Stefania Triolo, Stefania Mondello, and Domenico La Torre. "Anesthetic Techniques and Cancer Recurrence after Surgery." The Scientific World Journal 2014 (2014). Web. 22 Apr. 2016. <http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2014/328513/>.
Snyder, G L., and S Greenberg. "Effect of Anaesthetic Technique and Other Perioperative Factors on Cancer Recurrence." British Journal of Anaesthesia 105.2 (2010). Web. 22 Apr. 2016. <http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/725858>.
McCausland, K, N Martin, and A Missair. "Anaesthetic technique and cancer recurrence: current understanding." OA Anaesthetics 2.1 (2014). Web. 22 Apr. 2016. <http://www.oapublishinglondon.com/article/1125#>.
