Effects of TIVA Versus Inhalational Anaesthesia on Circulating Tumour Cells in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients

More than 80% of patients with cancer will be exposed to anaesthesia at some point in their treatment. There is increasing evidence that perioperative events, including the type of anaesthesia drugs utilised, have an impact on cancer recurrence and metastases. Although potentially and theoretically curative, surgical resection, manipulation and trauma may disseminate tumour cells and reduce immunity. There have been a number of suggestions as to why cancer may be, paradoxically, worsened by surgery and what methods may be used to mitigate this. One of these is propofol based total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA), whereby the traditional inhalational anaesthetic drugs are avoided. Commonly used inhalational drugs, such as sevoflurane and desflurane, are pro-inflammatory. Propofol, however, has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties, induces apoptosis and has specific inhibitory effects on tumour cell growth in vitro. Laboratory investigations, animal models, retrospective clinical studies and initial clinical research are producing evidence that inhalational anaesthesia facilitates tumour recurrence and metastasis, whilst TIVA can prolong survival. This randomised, controlled trial will look at the effects on DNA damage and biomarkers of immunity and inflammation of inhalational anaesthesia versus TIVA in patients undergoing surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma, a common tumour in the Southern Chinese population, for whom surgery is potentially-curative. It will focus on subjects undergoing open and laparoscopic hepatectomy and investigate changes in biomarkers of inflammation, immunity and gene expression from the patients' blood samples taken before, during and after surgery. Patients will also be followed-up for cancer recurrence, morbidity and five-year mortality. Results could represent a breakthrough in knowledge of how anaesthetic agents impact the results of cancer surgery, and have important implications for a more disease- sensitive approach to