THERE has been increasing interest in the role of anes-thetic drugs and opioids in cancer
recurrence and metastasis. Epidemiologic studies in this area have suggested that patients
who receive general anesthesia with opioids rather than local or regional anesthetics have a
greater rate of cancer recurrence. 1 Several retrospective studies have shown a reduced
incidence of cancer recurrence after regional anesthesia (epidural, intrathecal,
paravertebral) and reduced doses of opioids after surgery for breast, prostate, and colon …