Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How anesthesia affects immunity in dogs having cancer surgery
By Karayannopoulou, Maria et al.·Published in Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia·2022·Department of Clinical Studies-Companion Animal Clinic·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effect of anaesthesia on cell-mediated immunity in dogs undergoing mastectomy for mammary cancer.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 20 female dogs with malignant mammary tumors underwent surgery to remove the tumors, and researchers looked at how different anesthesia types affected their immune systems. The dogs were given either a less immunosuppressive anesthesia or a more immunosuppressive one. After surgery, both groups showed a decrease in certain immune cells, which could affect their ability to fight cancer. However, the dogs that received the less immunosuppressive anesthesia had better-preserved immune function, suggesting it might be a better choice for these surgeries.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate if anaesthesia for canine cancer mastectomy further influences host cell-mediated immunity (CMI) promoting cancer progression. STUDY DESIGN: A randomized, controlled, blinded clinical study. ANIMALS: A total of 20 bitches with malignant mammary tumours of clinical stage II or III undergoing the same type of mastectomy (regional mastectomy). METHODS: Dogs were randomly allocated to one of two anaesthetic groups (10 per group). The anaesthetic protocol of group A used minimally immunosuppressive drugs (tramadol, robenacoxib, propofol), whereas that of group B (control) used more immunosuppressive drugs (morphine, fentanyl, thiopental, isoflurane). For each animal, measurements of white blood cells (WBCs), neutrophils and lymphocytes, and flow cytometric assessment of T cells (CD3), helper T cells (CD4), cytotoxic T cells (CD8) and CD5T cells were performed prior to anaesthesia (day 0) and on days 3 and 10 postsurgery. Data were analysed using a General Linear Model for repeated measures and presented as mean ± standard deviation, p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: In all animals, on day 3, WBCs and neutrophils were significantly increased (p < 0.0005), while flow cytometry revealed significantly decreased relative percentages of T cells (CD3) (p = 0.003) and their subpopulations CD4(p = 0.006), CD8(p = 0.029) and CD5(p = 0.031). Specifically, on day 3, the cytotoxic T cells (CD8) were significantly decreased (p = 0.05) only in group B, whereas the CD4(p = 0.006) and CD5(p = 0.008) T cells in group A. The only significant difference between groups was found preoperatively in the CD4/CD8ratio, which was higher in group A (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In dogs with mammary cancer undergoing regional mastectomy, a significant decrease in components of CMI was observed on day 3 postsurgery in both anaesthetic groups. Some indication, however, for better preserved cellular immunity by less immunosuppressive anaesthetic/analgesic drugs was detected, rendering their use advisable.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35292230/