Cancer surgery induces inflammation, immunosuppression and neo-angiogenesis, but is it influenced by analgesics?

Surgery remains a main part of the treatment of most solid tumors. Paradoxically, rapid disease progression may be a consequence of surgery in patients presenting with a dysregulated inflammatory response, and increased angiogenesis consequent to a suppressed antitumoral immune response. Physicians taking care of cancer patients should be aware of the important findings that indicate that analgesic techniques could play a role in these phenomena.