Regional Anesthesia Versus General Anesthesia on Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) — CTC  

Breast Cancer Clinical Trial

Official title: Impact of Regional Anesthesia Versus General Anesthesia on Immune Modulation and Clearance of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) in Subjects Undergoing Surgery for Primary Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of the study is to determine whether the type of anesthesia during breast cancer surgery has any impact on the way a patient's immune system functions for a brief period after surgery. If the investigators find that one type of anesthesia versus the other is more beneficial to a patient's immune system, then the investigators may use this information to design a larger study to exam the effect of anesthesia better.

Clinical Trial Description

There are two different types of anesthesia that the investigators can use for subjects undergoing breast surgery. The first type is called "general anesthesia" (GA) which is when a person "goes to sleep" with a breathing tube and then receives intravenous (IV) pain medicine during and after surgery to minimize surgical pain. The other type of anesthesia is called "regional anesthesia" (RA), or "nerve blocks" which numb up the nerves that supply the breast area. By doing this type of anesthesia, subjects often don't go "to sleep" with a breathing tube, instead, they get heavy IV sedation and take a "deep nap" during the surgery. ;

Study Design

Observational Model: Cohort, Time Perspective: Prospective

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Breast Cancer
• Neoplastic Cells, Circulating

• NCT number: NCT01716065
• Study type: Observational
• Source: Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: June 2012