Modern anesthetic techniques have greatly increased the safety of major cancer surgery and the ability of surgeons to combat cancer. Anesthesia is safe and comfortable. Each form of surgery requires a different form of anesthetic, the major kinds being local, regional and general.
• Local anesthesia is used for procedures that are short and superficial, in other words, near the skin. A
biopsy or catheter placement, for example, can be performed under local anesthetic. The surgeon injects a drug
such as lidocaine that numbs the site. You will remain awake and will usually feel some pressure as well as
minor pulling of tissues in the area. If you do feel any pain, tell the surgeon so you can get additional anesthetic.
• Regional anesthesia involves giving the anesthetic agent near the spinal cord. The drug may be given by a
single injection (called an epidural) or continuously through a small catheter tube placed directly into or near the
spinal canal (peridural).
This form of anesthesia is excellent for operations in the lower part of the body, especially the lower
extremities and the pelvis. The main advantage of regional anesthesia is that it gives you complete pain relief for
many hours and that it wears off slowly, allowing you to take other forms of pain relief as needed after the
operation. Another advantage, especially if you have lung problems, is that you stay awake throughout the
operation, eliminating the interference with breathing that takes place with general anesthetic. Remaining awake,
however, may be considered a disadvantage by some people.
• General anesthesia is normal in most major operations for cancer. Anesthetic agents are given by
intravenous injection, through a breathing mask or both. They act directly on the brain to produce a
