[Effects of neuraxial block and general anesthesia on tumor metastasis in rats].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of different anesthesia methods on immune surveillance and tumor metastasis in tumor-bearing rats.


METHODS
Seventy-two Fischer 344 rats were randomly assigned into 3 equal groups and anesthetized for 1 h with ketamine (group K), propofol (group P), or neuraxial block (group B). All the rats were subjected to laparotomy followed by intravenous injection of MADB106 tumor cells, and 24 h after the injection, the number and activity of circulating CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+), and D4(+)/CD8(+) lymphocyte subsets and NK cellèCD161a(+)éwere assessed. Three weeks later, the lung metastases were counted.


RESULTS
Compared with those in group B, the numbers of CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+), and CD161a(+) lymphocytes and the activity of circulating NK cells were significantly reduced, and the lung metastases of MADB106 increased significantly in groups K and P (P<0.05 or 0.01 ). The activity of immune surveillance in group K was significantly lower than that in group P except for CD8(+) cells, and the tumor metastases in group K increased significantly in comparison with those in group P (P<0.05 or 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Neuraxial block provides protection of the activity of immune surveillance and reduces tumor metastases in tumor-bearing rats compared with general anesthesia.
Zheng
Wei
W
Department of Anesthesiology, Cancer Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, China.
Li
Yan-ping
YP
Lai
Ren-chun
RC
Lu
Ya-li
YL
Shen
Zhi-wen
ZW
Wang
Xu-dong
XD
D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D007157:Immunologic Surveillance / Q000276:immunology; D007649:Ketamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009407:Nerve Block; D015742:Propofol / Q000494:pharmacology; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344
D007649:Ketamine; D015742:Propofol