An article published in the most recent issue of the Journal of National Cancer Institute touches on a subject that we first wrote about several years ago - the link between cancer and allergies. At that time we pointed out recent research that seemed to point to a link between allergies and a decrease in the risk of developing cancer. This most recent study goes beyond the survey style methodology that was the basis of much of the earlier research. Instead, these newest results rely on a more quantitative measure - blood samples.

Blood samples taken from nearly 600 patients diagnosed with glioma and a matching control group free of tumors were tested for two types IgE protein, common markers found in people who have allergies. Confirming earlier research, the results showed that with higher levels of IgE came a lower risk of developing glioma. What really makes this study unique is that the blood samples of the glioma patients were actually collected two decades ago, long BEFORE any diagnosis of a tumor.

Despite the decades that separated when the samples were taken and when they were tested, the results showed a near 50% lower risk of developing glioma. For women, allergen specific IgE testing, like those used to test for pollen, dander, and mold allergies, showed a 50% lower risk of developing glioblastoma. Unfortunately for men, this latter result was only observed in women.

Glioma is a type of brain tumor that can be either benign or malignant, with a widely varying prognosis. Glioblastoma, on the other hand, is the most common and most aggressive of the malignant brain tumor types.

Though the exact reasons behind this association are still not clear.

Author: Kevin Gilmore