According to a study, the breast cancer patients who were given a combination of nerve block and general anesthesia for surgery had minimal chances of recurrence of the cancer. These patients were three times less likely to die than those who only receive general anesthesia. When the patient was given nerve block the need for opioid relief drug was less. The most effective way to treat solid cancer tumors is surgery.
However, it has been identified that the long-term effect of anesthesia and analgesic drugs used after surgery influence how the disease progresses. During the surgery, the tumor cells can pass through the blood stream into the lymph nodes or any other organ thus establishing another tumor. Here the immune cells play major role to fight these cells, but anesthesia and surgery weaken the immune system. Study: A study was carried out to demonstrate the effect on anesthesia…
