It is increasingly recognized that anaesthesia and other perioperative factors have the potential to effect long-term outcome after cancer surgery. Stress caused by surgery can destroy the host defences and promote the development of metastases. The anesthesia is an effective way to control the stress response, while a large number of studies have shown that anesthesia and drugs have a significant effect on tumor growth and immune function. In this review, different anesthesia, drugs and perioperative factors impacted on immune function and cancer metastasis were listed, in order to benefit the clinical anesthesia.