Introduction: The association between allergy and cancer is
contradictory, whereas some forms of cancer have inverse associations
with allergy. Allergic rhinitis (AR) is the most prevalent form of
allergy, and lung cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer,
with the highest percentage of mortality. Recent studies report a
positive association between asthma and lung cancer, although that, too,
is not conclusive yet. However, AR has a positive association with
asthma; therefore, our research question was to explore whether there is
any correlation between AR and lung cancer epidemiologically. Methods
and Results: Seven eligible articles were found to be eligible for this
systematic review and meta-analysis, including 4663 cases and 9056
controls, five from the USA and one each from Canada and Germany. Pooled
analysis [OR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.45-0.70; p-value<0.00001],
and [RR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.51-0.77; p-value<0.00001]
depicted a strong inverse relationship between AR and lung cancer. Among
small-cell and non-small-cell lung cancer, the inverse association was
stronger with Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC): [OR: 0.58, 95% CI:
0.46-0.73], and [RR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.53-0.77], with a p-value
<0.00001; however, this finding was only based on one study
among females. The study in Canada (OR: 0.35 and RR: 0.38) and in
Germany (OR: 0.18 and RR: 0.19) had lower OR and RR values compared to
the studies in the USA (OR 0.62 and RR 0.69). However, two studies in
Canada and Germany were the outlier studies in our study, and
sensitivity analyses reduced the heterogeneity from 64% to 27% (for
OR) and 72% to 40% (for RR) while analyses were conducted eliminating
those studies. No low-quality studies were obtained. Conclusion: New
epidemiological studies are required to observe the current scenario
more comprehensively.
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