Abstract:Objective To explore the effects of combined anesthesia with sevoflurane and propofol on oxidative stress and postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of colorectal cancer (CRC), so as to provide a reference for optimizing anesthesia regimens for elderly patients.Method 90 elderly patients were included, all of whom underwent laparoscopic radical resection of CRC from February 2023 to February 2025. The subjects were divided into a control group and an observation group using the random number table method, each group with 45 patients. The control group was given propofol anesthesia; the observation group received intravenous infusion of propofol and inhalation of sevoflurane. Observe the hemodynamics and anesthesia recovery, postoperative pain, immune function, oxidative stress, postoperative cognitive function, and adverse reactions of two groups of patients.Results There were differences in heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) between the two groups before anesthesia (T0), 15 minutes after anesthesia (T1), 30 minutes after anesthesia (T2), and immediately after surgery (T3) in terms of time, between-group, and interaction effects (P < 0.05). At the same time point (T1, T2 and T3), the above indicators in the observation group were higher than those in the control group. There were no differences in the levels of percutaneous arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) between groups T0, T1, T2, and T3 time points in terms of time, between-to-group, and interaction effects (P > 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the BIS values between the two groups. The observation group had a shorter awakening time and extubation time compared to the control group, the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The observation group had lower visual analogue scale (VAS) scores than the control group at 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery, the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Compared with preoperative, postoperative 24 and 72 hours, the CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ levels in both groups of patients significantly decreased, while CD8+ levels increased. However, at the same time point, the observation group had higher levels of CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ than the control group, and lower levels of CD8+ than the control group, the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Compared with preoperative and postoperative levels, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and cortisol (Cor) increased 24 hours after surgery in both groups, while the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) decreased, and the differences in these indicators between the two groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05). There were differences in mini-mental status examination (MMSE) scores and Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) scores between the two groups of patients in terms of time, between-group and interaction effects. Moreover, at the same time points (postoperative 24 hours, 7 days and 30 days), the MMSE scores and MoCA scores of the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05).Conclusion Sevoflurane combined with propofol general anesthesia can stabilize intraoperative hemodynamics, reduce perioperative oxidative stress levels, improve early postoperative cognitive function, alleviate postoperative pain, and offer benefits in preserving the immune response among elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of CRC. This regimen provides a safe and effective perioperative management strategy for elderly patients and has certain clinical application value.