Effects of sevoflurane and propofol application on perioperative immune function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective To investigate the effects of sevoflurane and propofol application on perioperative immune function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing partial hepatectomy. Methods 76 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in our hospital were randomly divided into sevoflurane inhalation anesthesia group and propofol intravenous anesthesia groups with 38 cases in each group. The perioperative peripheral blood T lymphocytes subsets and changes of IL-6 were compared between the two groups. Results Serum IL-6 levels immediately after the operation and 1 day after the operation were all increased as compared to the levels before the anesthesia in both groups;the level was recovered in the propofol intravenous anesthesia groups within 3 days after the operation,but not in the sevoflurane inhalation anesthesia group. The postoperative serum IL-6 levels at each time point was lower in the propofol intravenous anesthesia groups as compared to the sevoflurane inhalation anesthesia group,the differences were of statistically significant( P 0. 05). The peripheral CD3+,CD4+,CD4+/CD8+levels immediately after the operation and 1 day after the operation were all decreased as compared to the levels before the anesthesia in both groups(P 0. 05);the levels in the sevoflurane group were lower than the propofol group. They were recovered within 3 days after the operation in both groups(P 0. 05). Conclusion Propofol intravenous anesthesia compared with sevoflurane anesthesia can reduce the body's stress response to surgery in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma,with a lighter reaction to inhibition of T lymphocyte subsets.