Yan T, et al. - Among 80 female patients undergoing breast cancer resection, researchers assessed the release of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), as well as recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates in relation to the type of anesthesia used ie, propofol/remifentanil-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA group) vs sevoflurane-based inhalational anesthesia (SEV group). They measured the serum concentrations of VEGF-C and TGF-β before and 24 hours after surgery and analyzed RFS rates over a two-year follow-up in both groups. They found that breast surgery-induced release of VEGF-C could be effectively inhibited, but seemingly with no improvement in short-term recurrence rate, by using TIVA vs SEV in these patients.