title: Effects of anesthetics and analgesics on natural killer cell activity.
abstract: Surgical excision of cancerous tumors and the human stress response can lead to metastasis of tumor cells. Furthermore, the medications used during the perioperative period (eg, opioids and anesthetic agents) have been shown to inhibit or suppress natural killer (NK) cell activity, one of the body's main defenses against spread of cancer. There are currently no anesthetic regimens that have been shown to completely reverse surgical stress-induced suppression of NK cell activity. However, there may be anesthetic techniques that attenuate surgical suppression of NK cell activity. This article reviews the effects of various anesthetics and analgesics on NK cell activity and suggests techniques to attenuate the suppressive effects of these compounds.
authors.affiliation: US Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing, Fort Hood, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Brett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Welden
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gates
authors.forename: Resti
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mallari
authors.forename: Normalynn
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Garrett
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D000777:Anesthetics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000276:immunology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000777:Anesthetics