Clinical trial · Interventional
Perioperative Dexmedetomidine and Long-term Survival After Cancer Surgery
Impact of Perioperative Dexmedetomidine on Long-term Survival in Older Patients After Cancer Surgery: a Multicenter Randomized Trial
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Along with aging population, cancer incidence and mortality are increasing. However, despite advances in oncology and surgery, long-term survival of cancer patients is far from optimal. Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective alpha 2 adrenergic receptor agonist with sedative, analgesic, and anxiolytic effects. Studies showed that perioperative use of dexmedetomidine reduces delirium and some non-delirium complications after surgery. In long-term follow-up studies of older patients who, for other reasons, were randomized to receive either dexmedetomidine or placebo during intra- or postoperative period, dexmedetomidine use was associated with improved long-term survival. This multicenter randomized trial aims to investigate the effect of perioperative dexmedetomidine on long-term outcomes in older patients undergoing cancer surgery.
Conditions
Conditions (4)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer Surgery | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Dexmedetomidine | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Elderly | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Long-Term Survivors | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dexmedetomidine | Drug | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Placebo | Drug | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Dexmedetomidine group
- description
- A loading dose of dexmedetomidine (0.6 μg/kg) will be administered over 10-15 minutes before anaesthesia induction, followed by a continuous infusion at a rate of 0.5 μg/kg/h till 1 hour before the end of surgery. Patient-controlled dexmedetomidine supplemented sufentanil analgesia will be provided after surgery: the formula contains a mixture of sufentanil (1.25 μg/ml) and dexmedetomidine (1.25 μg/ml), diluted with normal saline to a total volume of 160 ml; the analgesic pump is set to administer a background infusion at a rate of 1 ml/h, with patient-controlled bolus of 2 ml each time and a lockout time of 8 minutes.
- interventionNames
- Drug: Dexmedetomidine
- type
- PLACEBO_COMPARATOR
- label
- Control group
- description
- Volume-matched normal saline will be administered in the same rate and volume for the same duration as in the dexmedetomidine group during anesthesia. Patient-controlled sufentanil analgesia will be provided after surgery: the formula contains sufentanil (1.25 μg/ml), diluted with normal saline to a total volume of 160 ml; the analgesic pump is set to administer a background infusion at a rate of 1 ml/h, with patient-controlled bolus of 2 ml each time and a lockout time of 8 minutes.
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 60 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion criteria: 1. Aged 60 years or older. 2. Scheduled to undergo radical surgery for cancer under general anesthesia, with an expected surgical duration of 2 hours or longer. 3. Required patient-controlled intravenous analgesia after surgery. Exclusion criteria: 1. Inability to communicate preoperatively due to visual, auditory, verbal. or other reasons. 2. Surgery for breast cancer or intracranial tumor. 3. Preoperative severe sinus bradycardia (\<50 beats per minute), sick sinus syndrome，or second-degree or above atrioventricular block without pacemaker. 4. Severe hepatic dysfunction (Child-Pugh class C). 5. Severe renal dysfunction (requirement of renal replacement therapy before surgery). 6. Enrolled in other clinical studies.
References
Publications (30)
- BACKGROUNDBray F, Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Siegel RL, Torre LA, Jemal A. Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2018 Nov;68(6):394-424. doi: 10.3322/caac.21492. Epub 2018 Sep 12. PMID 30207593
- BACKGROUNDChen W, Zheng R, Baade PD, Zhang S, Zeng H, Bray F, Jemal A, Yu XQ, He J. Cancer statistics in China, 2015. CA Cancer J Clin. 2016 Mar-Apr;66(2):115-32. doi: 10.3322/caac.21338. Epub 2016 Jan 25. PMID 26808342
- BACKGROUNDZhang DF, Su X, Meng ZT, Li HL, Wang DX, Xue-Ying Li, Maze M, Ma D. Impact of Dexmedetomidine on Long-term Outcomes After Noncardiac Surgery in Elderly: 3-Year Follow-up of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Surg. 2019 Aug;270(2):356-363. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000002801. PMID 29742525
- BACKGROUNDDu YT, Li YW, Zhao BJ, Guo XY, Feng Y, Zuo MZ, Fu C, Zhou WJ, Li HJ, Liu YF, Cheng T, Mu DL, Zeng Y, Liu PF, Li Y, An HY, Zhu SN, Li XY, Li HJ, Wu YF, Wang DX, Sessler DI; Peking University Clinical Research Program Study Group. Long-term Survival after Combined Epidural-General Anesthesia or General Anesthesia Alone: Follow-up of a Randomized Trial. Anesthesiology. 2021 Aug 1;135(2):233-245. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000003835. PMID 34195784
- BACKGROUNDFokas E, Engenhart-Cabillic R, Daniilidis K, Rose F, An HX. Metastasis: the seed and soil theory gains identity. Cancer Metastasis Rev. 2007 Dec;26(3-4):705-15. doi: 10.1007/s10555-007-9088-5. PMID 17786535
- BACKGROUNDKhuri SF, Henderson WG, DePalma RG, Mosca C, Healey NA, Kumbhani DJ; Participants in the VA National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Determinants of long-term survival after major surgery and the adverse effect of postoperative complications. Ann Surg. 2005 Sep;242(3):326-41; discussion 341-3. doi: 10.1097/01.sla.0000179621.33268.83. PMID 16135919