2019 Volume 39 Issue 3 Pages 308-311
Recent research findings have suggested the significance of perioperative management including anesthesia on cancer prognosis. Considering that the time to cancer relapse is usually more than a year, or at least months, those results are improbable at a glance because the perioperative period is quite short. However, various laboratory studies have recently revealed that the perioperative period is a “special time” that has a major impact on the growth of cancer. In this review, we explain the theoretical background as to why the perioperative period is considered to be special and introduce the results of representative experimental and clinical studies, as well as suggest ideas regarding what anesthesiologists can actually do to improve cancer prognosis.