Isoflurane Impacts Murine Melanoma Growth in a Sex-Specific, Immune-Dependent Manner: A Brief Report

The impact of volatile anesthetics on cancer progression has been observed for decades, but sex differences have not been described. Male and female immune systems vary considerably, and the immune system plays an important role in limiting cancer growth. Currently, mouse models describing the impact of volatile anesthetics on cancer growth are limited to same-sex models. In this brief report, we describe a sex-specific impact of isoflurane on melanoma growth observed in wild-type but not in immune-deficient mice. Future experimental designs related to anesthesia and cancer should evaluate the biological variable of sex in a systematic manner. Accepted for publication February 1, 2018. Funding: A. Meier is supported by a grant from the International Anesthesia Research Society and was supported by a grant from the University of California, San Diego Faculty Senate. J. D. Bui is supported by grants from the NCI (CA157885) and The Hartwell Foundation. X. M. Tu and T. Lin are supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant UL1TR001442 of CTSA. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. Conflicts of Interest: See Disclosures at the end of the article. Reprints will not be available from the authors. Address correspondence to Angela Meier, MD, PhD, Department of Anesthesiology, University of California San Diego, 200 W Arbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92103. Address e-mail to anmeier@ucsd.edu. © 2018 International Anesthesia Research Society

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