Effect of Anesthesia on The Outcome of High-Grade Glioma Patients Undergoing Supratentorial Resection: Study Protocol for A Randomized Controlled Trial 

Abstract Background High-grade glioma (HGG) is the most malignant brain tumor with poor outcome. Whether anesthetic methods have impact on the outcome of these patients is still unknown. Retrospective study has found that there is no difference between two anesthesia methods on the overall survival (OS), however, intravenous anesthesia with propofol might be beneficial in subgroup patients of KPS<80. Further prospective studies are needed to evaluate the results.Methods This is a single-centered, randomized controlled, parallel group trial. 196 patients with primary HGG for tumor resection will be randomly assigned to receive either the intravenous anesthesia with propofol or inhalation anesthesia with sevoflurane. The primary outcome is the OS within 18 months. Secondary outcomes include progression-free survival (PFS), the numerical rating scale (NRS) of pain intensity and sleep quality, the postoperative encephaloedema volume, complications, the length and cost effectiveness of hospital stay of the patients.Discussion This is a randomized controlled trial to compare the effect of intravenous or inhalation anesthesia maintenance on the outcome of supratentorial HGG patients.The results will help to optimizing the anesthesia methods in these patients.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT02756312). Registered on 27 April 2020 https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/