For nearly 20 years, clinicians have been intrigued by the potential oncologic benefits of regional anesthesia. The debate gained momentum following the publication of a study that reported improved survival in breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy with paravertebral blocks compared with opioid-based analgesia (Anesthesiology 2006;105[4]:660-664).
The hypothesis that regional anesthesia may blunt the perioperative inflammatory response and subsequently slow tumor progression resulted in a