Comparing the Effects of Combined General/Epidural Anaesthesia and General Anaesthesia on Serum Cytokine Levels in Radical Cystectomy.

Objective: Surgical stress combined with general anaesthesia (GA) suppresses the immune system and leads to cancer cell growth and premature metastasis in major oncological interventions. Epidural analgesia decreases the need for inhalation agents and opioids during surgery by suppressing sympathetic and neuroendocrine responses in the postoperative period. This study aimed to compare the effects of combined general/epidural anaesthesia (GEA)+patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) and GA+IV patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) on serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)levels in patients undergoing radical cystectomy