The effects of epidural anaesthesia and analgesia on T lymphocytes differentiation markers and cytokines in patients after gastric cancer resection

Epidural use can prevent peri-operative neuro-endocrine stress responses, mitigate pain after surgery, and reduce opioid use, which all lead to immunosuppression. Forty patients with gastric cancer were ultimately enrolled into the study. Patients who received general anaesthesia (GA group, n = 20) or a combination of general anaesthesia and peri-operative epidural use (EGA group, n = 20) were given intravenous analgesia or epidural analgesia, respectively.