Are Cure Rates for Breast Cancer Improved by Local and Regional Anesthesia?

Background And Objectives: Recent preclinical basic science studies suggest that patient tumor immunity is altered by general anesthesia (GA), potentially worsening cancer outcomes. A single retrospective review concluded that breast cancer patients receiving paravertebral block and GA had better cancer outcomes compared with patients receiving GA alone. This study has not been validated.

Are Breast Cancer Outcomes Compromised by General Surgical Resident Participation in the Operation?

Objective: The effect of surgery resident participation on breast cancer recurrence has not been previously reported. The objectives of this study were to determine if resident participation was associated with either immediate postoperative or long-term breast cancer outcomes.

Design: We retrospectively reviewed a prospectively collected breast center database to identify all patients with breast cancer undergoing surgery in a single center during a 9-year period ending 1 January 2010.