Key Points
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Surgery remains the primary treatment for patients with solid tumours, yet postoperative locoregional recurrence and distant metastasis occur frequently and confer high risks of morbidity and mortality
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Deleterious effects of surgery include the initiation of local and/or systemic inflammation, increased catecholamine levels, immunosuppression, a prothrombotic state, and exposure to anaesthetic agents; these processes overlap with cancer-promoting signalling pathways
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Cancer cells that escape resection are subject to perioperative physiological changes and might disseminate and colonize distant organs, thus contributing to postoperative cancer recurrence
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Perioperative use of β-adrenoceptor antagonists, anti-inflammatory drugs, intravenous anaesthetics, and antithrombotic agents is linked with improved survival outcomes in patients with cancer
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>60% of patients with cancer are treated with surgery; therefore, offsetting the deleterious effects of surgery by use of affordable and readily available therapies might rapidly improve the postoperative survival of patients with cancer
Abstract
Surgery is a mainstay treatment for patients with solid tumours. However, despite surgical resection with a curative intent and numerous advances in the effectiveness of (neo)adjuvant therapies, metastatic disease remains common and carries a high risk of mortality. The biological perturbations that accompany the surgical stress response and the pharmacological effects of anaesthetic drugs, paradoxically, might also promote disease recurrence or the progression of metastatic disease. When cancer cells persist after surgery, either locally or at undiagnosed distant sites, neuroendocrine, immune, and metabolic pathways activated in response to surgery and/or anaesthesia might promote their survival and proliferation. A consequence of this effect is that minimal residual disease might then escape equilibrium and progress to metastatic disease. Herein, we discuss the most promising proposals for the refinement of perioperative care that might address these challenges. We outline the rationale and early evidence for the adaptation of anaesthetic techniques and the strategic use of anti-adrenergic, anti-inflammatory, and/or antithrombotic therapies. Many of these strategies are currently under evaluation in large-cohort trials and hold promise as affordable, readily available interventions that will improve the postoperative recurrence-free survival of patients with cancer.
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Acknowledgements
The work of the authors is supported by the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, The David and Lorelle Skewes Foundation, the Peter Mac Foundation, and the National Cancer Institute (CA160890). N.J.P is the recipient of a Cancer Research UK Clinical Research Fellowship. Work in the G.P lab is supported by the British Journal of Anaesthesia/Royal College of Anaesthetists via the National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia, Cancer Research UK Grand Challenge award (C59824/A25044), and the Institute of Cancer Research.
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J.G.H, N.J.P, B.R, and E.K.S researched data for the article. All authors wrote, reviewed, and edited the manuscript before submission. J.G.H and N.J.P contributed equally.
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Hiller, J., Perry, N., Poulogiannis, G. et al. Perioperative events influence cancer recurrence risk after surgery. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 15, 205–218 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2017.194
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2017.194
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