Effects of general anesthesia with combined epidural anesthesia on inflammatory response in patients with early-stage gastric cancer undergoing tumor resection

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of combined epidural and general anesthesia on gastric cancer patients undergoing tumor resection. A total of 107 patients with early-stage gastric cancer who underwent surgery between January 2014 and January 2017 were enrolled in the present study. All patients in the control group (n=54) were treated with general anesthesia, while patients in the observation group (n=53) were treated with combined epidural and general anesthesia. The percentages of viable T lymphocyte subsets and the levels of carcinoembryonic antigen in the serum were measured. Furthermore, the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1, IL-8, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were measured. Compared with those in the control group, the percentages of CD3(+) and CD4(+) T lymphocytes and the CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio in the observation group were increased, while the population of CD8(+) cells was decreased. Furthermore, the serum levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1, IL-8, hs-CRP and TNF-α in the observation group were reduced compared with those in the control group. In addition, the incidence of nausea and vomiting, as well as post-operative agitation were lower in the observation group compared with those in the control group. In conclusion, compared with general anesthesia, combined anesthesia inhibits the inflammatory response and improves immune function in early-stage gastric cancer patients undergoing tumor resection.