The purpose of the study is to determine whether the type of anesthesia during breast cancer surgery has any impact on the way a patient's immune system functions for a brief period after surgery. If the investigators find that one type of anesthesia versus the other is more beneficial to a patient's immune system, then the investigators may use this information to design a larger study to exam the effect of anesthesia better.
There are two different types of anesthesia that the investigators can use for subjects undergoing breast surgery. The first type is called "general anesthesia" (GA) which is when a person "goes to sleep" with a breathing tube and then receives intravenous (IV) pain medicine during and after surgery to minimize surgical pain. The other type of anesthesia is called "regional anesthesia" (RA), or "nerve blocks" which numb up the nerves that supply the breast area. By doing this type of anesthesia, subjects often don't go "to sleep" with a breathing tube, instead, they get heavy IV sedation and take a "deep nap" during the surgery.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
12
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Circulating Tumor Cells
blood will be drawn preoperative( at least 24 hours before surgery), immediate prior to surgery, immediately postoperative, 12-24 hours postoperative, and at postoperative appointment
Time frame: 5 days
Levels of cytokines
Time frame: 5 days
breast cancer antibodies
Time frame: 5 days
Dendritic Cells
Time frame: 5 days
T and B lymphocytes
Time frame: 5 days
Natural Killer Cells (NK cells)
Time frame: 5 days
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