Abstract
Purpose of Review: The influence of opioids on outcomes after cancer surgery when used, or avoided, intraoperatively remains unclear. There is a need to conduct a scoping review to explore the wider context and provide direction for future research. The review will examine the current state of evidence in humans, with a focus on immunological biomarkers and clinically relevant cancer outcomes in trials comparing opioid-free to opioid-based general anaesthesia. Recent Findings: There is limited research on this subject area, which is mainly focused on breast cancer. The most frequently evaluated immunological parameter is the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. Cancer outcomes are mainly focused on recurrence. Summary: The central knowledge gap is understanding how the cellular effects of opioids translate into longer-term patient outcomes. The major challenge for future research is accounting for the immunomodulatory effects of a wide range of confounding factors, which have yet to be clarified.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1327-1336 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Current Oncology Reports |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 10 |
Early online date | 28 May 2022 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2022 |
Data Availability Statement
Supplementary Information:The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-022-01300-5.
Keywords
- Opioid-free anaesthesia
- Cancer
- Immune response
- Surgery