Backgroud Surgical resection is a major therapeutic strategy for brain glioma. But high risk of relapse after resection poses tremendous challenges to the treatment of this disease. Many recent studies demonstrate that anesthetics affects thet growth, invasion and metastasis of the glioma. These findings attracted more and more attention from neurosurgeons.　Objective　To summarize the influence of anesthetics on the development, metastasis and relaps of the glioma.　Content　The treatment of brain glioma is challenging because of the limited understanding of its underlying mechanisms, propensity to relapse, and poor prognosis. Malignant glioma may develop from neural stem cells, and retain capability of proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Therefore, the inadequate eradication of glioma tissue during resection is the major cause of the relapse. Sedatives and hypnotics used during perioperative anesthesia have been reported to inhibit the growth, proliferation, metastasis, and relapse of the glioma. The effects of opioid analgesics on glioma are controversial. Intravenous (ketamine and etomidate) and inhaled anesthetics inhibit the activity of immune cells to facilitate the growth and metastasis of the glioma. However, there are studies showing that in in vitro systems, propofol reduces the ability of glioma to invade the surrounding tissue, and that isoflurane, sevoflurane, and lidocaine enhance apoptosis in glioma cells. Trend　Collaboration between anesthesiologists and neurosurgeons should be strengthened to clarify the correlation between perioperative anesthesia and the prognosis of glioma. It would greatly benefit the selection of optimal anesthetics for perioperative anesthesia in patients undergoing glioma resection.