Association between cancer and allergies

Abstract

BackgroundThe prevalence of allergies and the incidence of cancer are both increasing worldwide. It has been hypothesized that atopy may affect the risk of some cancers.MethodsIn this study, 1525 patients (754 women and 771 men with a mean age of 52.7 ± 11.9 years) with different types of cancer were examined for the presence of allergies. Allergies were confirmed based on retrospective analysis of allergy diagnostic procedures in patients previously diagnosed with cancer. All patients were also analyzed for bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis according to relevant guidelines. A control group of patients without cancer diagnoses was used for comparison.ResultsPatients with cancer had significantly fewer IgE-mediated allergic diseases than the control population. For the oncological group compared to the non-cancer patients, the odds ratios (ORs) for allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and bronchial asthma were 0.67 (95 % CI 0.52–0.81), 0.89 (95 % CI 0.78–0.99), and 1.03 (95 % CI 0.91–1.13), respectively. The mean serum concentrations of total IgE were significantly lower in the study population of patients with cancer than in the patients in the control group (45.98 ± 14.9 vs. 83.2 ± 40.1 IU/l; p < 0.05). There were no significant correlations between the type of cancer diagnosed and the form of allergy.ConclusionOur results indicate that the overall incidence of allergies, particularly allergic rhinitis, was lower in patients with some types of cancer. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Can atopy have a protective effect against cancer?

“…Kozlowska et al confirmed the association between IgE-mediated allergies and certain less prevalent types of cancers [12]. However, in this study, the subgroup of women with breast cancer was too small, and the whole patient group was too heterogeneous to reach a conclusion about the relationship between the types of cancer and atopy [12].…”

“…Some studies have reported allergies in patients with different types of neoplasms; however, the determination of a possible causal relationship was ambiguous [9,10,11]. Kozlowska et al confirmed the association between IgE-mediated allergies and certain less prevalent types of cancers [12]. However, in this study, the subgroup of women with breast cancer was too small, and the whole patient group was too heterogeneous to reach a conclusion about the relationship between the types of cancer and atopy [12].…”

“…The methods were similar to those of the study by Kozlowska et al [12]. This retrospective cross-sectional study assessed the history of ever having allergies in women with breast cancer.…”

Associations between Atopic Dermatitis and Risk of Gastric Cancer: A Nationwide Population-based Study

“…[5][6][7][8][9] Over the past few decades, substantial amounts of epidemiologic and clinical data have described the associations between allergic diseases and cancer. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] However, to the best of our knowledge, only a few epidemiologic studies have examined the associations between allergic diseases and gastric cancer. One cohort study that analyzed subjects selected from a hospital discharge registry, reported that asthma was associated with reduced gastric cancer risk; 13 however, this study included patients with only severe asthma, and the number of gastric cancer cases was small.…”

Does Atopic Dermatitis Reduce the Incidence of Gastric Cancer?

“…Several studies have suggested that a dysregulation of immune function in patients with histories of allergies may be associated with increased risk of cancer. [1][2][3][4][5] Over the past several decades, epidemiologic and clinical data have shown an association between allergic diseases and cancer. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] A few epidemiologic studies, in particular, have examined the association between allergic diseases and gastric cancer, suggesting that asthma may be associated with reduced risk of gastric cancer.…”