The incidence and societal burden of cancer is increasing globally. Surgery is indicated in the majority of solid tumours, and recent research in the emerging field of onco-anaesthesiology suggests that anaesthetic-analgesic interventions in the perioperative period could potentially influence long-term oncologic outcomes. While prospective, randomised controlled clinical trials are the only research method that can conclusively prove a causal relationship between anaesthetic technique and cancer recurrence, live animal (in vivo) experimental models may more realistically test the biological plausibility of these hypotheses and the mechanisms underpinning them, than limited in vitro modelling. This review outlines the advantages and limitations of available animal models of cancer and how they might be used in perioperative cancer metastasis modelling, including spontaneous or induced tumours, allograft, xenograft, and transgenic tumour models.
Keywords: anaesthesia; animal model; cancer; cancer recurrence; cancer surgery; in vivo model; surgery.