Effect of Peri-operative IV lidocaine on Bladder cancer recurrence

The peri-operative period is a crucial time for patients with bladder cancer that undergo a radical cystectomy. Although this procedure eradicates the tumor, it has also been linked to the promotion of pre-existing micro metastasis and the initiation of new malignant growths. Intravenous(IV) administration of lidocaine during the perioperative period could compliment a radical cystectomy in prevention of tumor recurrence. It has been shown that continuous perioperative intravenous lidocaine administered at a rate of 1.5mg/kg/hr has the potential to reduce tumor recurrence up to 2 years in breast cancer and other cancers based on previous studies that have looked at interaction with perioperative IV lidocaine administration and tumor reoccurrence rates in patients.  

Currently, there are no randomized clinical trials to examine tumor reoccurrence rates in patients administered continuous intravenous lidocaine during radical cystectomy compared to those not administered continuous intravenous lidocaine. We conducted a retrospective study that contains 8 years of regionally collected data on patients who underwent a radical cystectomy to determine if intraoperative continuous IV lidocaine affected disease free survival (DFS) at 5 years.