Comparison of Outcomes After Breast Cancer Surgery Between Inhalational and Propofol-Based Intravenous Anaesthesia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Qian-Yun Pang, Li-Ping Duan, Yan Jiang, Hong-Liang Liu Department of Anesthesiology, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400030, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Hong-Liang LiuDepartment of Anesthesiology, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing University, No. 181, Hanyu Road, Shapingba District, Chongqing, 400030, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 13883686721Email liuhl75@163.comBackground: General anaesthesia is the commonly provided for breast cancer surgery, but the effects of inhalational anaesthesia and propofol-based intravenous anaesthesia on short- and long-term outcomes after breast cancer surgery are not clear. In this study, we conduct a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to explore the superior anaesthetic for breast cancer surgery patients.Methods: We searched the Embase, Medline, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang databases (up to January, 2021) for RCTs in which inhalational anaesthesia and propofol-based intravenous anaesthesia were compared and short- and long-term outcomes were assessed in breast cancer surgical patients. The meta-analysis was performed by Stata 12.0.Results: Twenty RCTs with a total of 2201 patients were included. Compared with inhalational anaesthesia, propofol-based intravenous anaesthesia was associated with more postoperative rescue analgesia (I2=0%, RR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.07– 1.30, P=0.001) but a lower incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) (I2=25.5%, RR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.62– 0.81, P 0.05).Conclusion: Propofol-based intravenous anaesthesia increases postoperative rescue analgesia but reduces PONV compared with inhalational anaesthesia in breast cancer surgery. The benefit of propofol over inhalational anaesthetics in the preservation of anti-cancer immunity is obvious, but it is difficult to conclude that propofol can exert long-term benefits due to the small sample size.Keywords: inhalational anaesthesia, propofol, breast cancer, surgery, outcome, analgesi