Pain drugs used in prostate gland removal linked to cancer outcome, Mayo Clinic-led study finds

Research examines link between opioid suppression of immune system and cancer recurrence

2013-12-17

(Press-News.org) Contact information: Sharon Theimer
newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-5005
Mayo Clinic
Pain drugs used in prostate gland removal linked to cancer outcome, Mayo Clinic-led study finds Research examines link between opioid suppression of immune system and cancer recurrence ROCHESTER, Minn -- The methods used to anesthetize prostate cancer patients and control pain when their prostate glands are surgically removed for adenocarcinoma may affect their long-term cancer outcomes, a study led by Mayo Clinic has found. Opioids, painkillers commonly given during and after surgery, may suppress the immune system's ability to fight cancer cells. The research suggests that supplementing general anesthesia with a spinal or epidural painkiller before a radical prostatectomy reduces a patient's need for opioids after surgery, and this finding was associated with a lower risk of cancer recurrence. The findings are published online in the British Journal of Anaesthesia.

MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video of Dr. Sprung is available for download from the Mayo Clinic News Network.

The immune system's strength is especially important in cancer surgery because surgical manipulation of a tumor may spread cancer cells. The immune system can be impaired by general anesthesia, the overall stress surgery places on the body and by post-surgical systemic opioid use. The study found better outcomes in radical prostatectomy patients who had general anesthesia supplemented with spinal or epidural delivery of a long-acting opioid such as morphine, than in those who received general anesthesia only.

"We found a significant association between this opioid-sparing technique, reduced progression of the prostate tumor and overall mortality," says senior author Juraj Sprung, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist.

Researchers used Mayo Clinic's prostatectomy registry, anesthesia database and electronic medical records to identify patients who had prostate gland surgery for adenocarcinoma from January 1991 through December 2005. Reports of recurrence of cancer, cancer spread and death were confirmed with patients' physicians.

While promising, the findings must be tested in randomized trials, Dr. Sprung says: "Provided future studies confirm what we've found in this study, maybe down the line this would be a standard of care for pain management in patients undergoing cancer surgery."

### About Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit http://www.mayoclinic.org/about and http://www.mayoclinic.org/news.

Journalists can become a member of the Mayo Clinic News Network for the latest health, science and research news and access to video, audio, text and graphic elements that can be downloaded or embedded.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Ancestor of snakes, lizards likely gave birth to live young

2013-12-17

Ancestor of snakes, lizards likely gave birth to live young Controversial finding changes previous belief that ancestor laid eggs WASHINGTON—The ancestor of snakes and lizards likely gave birth to live young, rather than laid eggs, and over time species have ...

Self-worth boosts ability to overcome poverty

2013-12-17

Self-worth boosts ability to overcome poverty For people in poverty, remembering better times – such as past success – improves brain functioning by several IQ points and increases their willingness to seek help from crucial aid services, a new study finds. The ...

UT Arlington marketing study shows ethnically diverse workforce may improve customer experience

2013-12-16

UT Arlington marketing study shows ethnically diverse workforce may improve customer experience Future of business depends on diversity Service-oriented businesses that want to succeed with minority customers should consider hiring frontline employees who represent ...

Pollination, land degradation: Top priorities for assessment by new UN intergovernmental body

2013-12-16

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 14-Dec-2013 [ | E-mail ] var addthis_pub="eurekalert"; var addthis_options = "favorites, delicious, digg, facebook, twitter, google, newsvine, reddit, slashdot, stumbleupon, buzz, more" Share Contact: Terry Collins tc@tca.tc 416-878-8712 Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Pollination, land degradation: Top priorities for assessment by new UN intergovernmental body Nations approve first work plan, budget for Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Antalya, Turkey, December ...

Climate change threatens genetic diversity, future of world's caribou

2013-12-16

Climate change threatens genetic diversity, future of world's caribou Caribou in southern and eastern Canada may disappear from most of their current range in 60 years if climate change takes the toll on their habitat that scientists predict in a paper appearing ...

Timing is everything in new nanotechnology for medicine, security and research

2013-12-16

Timing is everything in new nanotechnology for medicine, security and research WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Researchers working to advance imaging useful to medicine and security are capitalizing on the same phenomenon behind the lingering "ghost" image that appeared ...

Nuclei in wrong place may be cause, not result, of inherited muscle diseases

2013-12-16

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 16-Dec-2013 [ | E-mail ] var addthis_pub="eurekalert"; var addthis_options = "favorites, delicious, digg, facebook, twitter, google, newsvine, reddit, slashdot, stumbleupon, buzz, more" Share Contact: Cathy Yarbrough cyarbrough@ascb.org 858-243-1814 John Fleischman jfleischman@ascb.org American Society for Cell Biology Nuclei in wrong place may be cause, not result, of inherited muscle diseases Sunday Driver gene implicated as necessary regulator of nuclear positioning in muscle tissue cells Incorrectly positioned nuclei ...

Mothers see their youngest as shorter than they are

2013-12-16

Mothers see their youngest as shorter than they are Many parents say when their second child is born that their first child suddenly appears to have grown overnight. Now, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on December 16 have an explanation: until ...

JCI early table of contents for Dec. 16, 2013

2013-12-16

JCI early table of contents for Dec. 16, 2013 A mouse model to evaluate potential age-promoting compounds While there are well-established mouse models to identify cancer-causing agents, similar models are not available to readily test and identify age-promoting ...

A mouse model to evaluate potential age-promoting compounds

2013-12-16

A mouse model to evaluate potential age-promoting compounds While there are well-established mouse models to identify cancer-causing agents, similar models are not available to readily test and identify age-promoting agents. Recently, a mouse strain ...