(ChemotherapyAdvisor) – Level of IgE, a biomarker for allergy, predicts glioma risk, according to an international team of researchers. This conclusion is based on a study entitled “Association between Prediagnostic IgE Levels and Risk of Glioma,” which was published online in the Journal of The National Cancer Institute on August 1.
This study was designed to confirm previous data that suggested an inverse association between IgE and the risk of developing glioma. In the current study, the investigators aimed to assess the length of time between the appearance of elevated levels of IgE and diagnosis of glioma.
To meet this aim, the investigators conducted a nested case–control study in which patients diagnosed with glioma (n=594 case subjects), between January 1, 1974 to December 31, 2007, were matched with subjects without glioma (n = 1177 control subjects) based to predetermined criteria. To determine the association between allergy and diagnosis with glioma, serum levels of respiratory allergen-specific and total IgE levels were measured.
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The investigators confirmed what other studies had already demonstrated regarding the association between IgE and glioma diagnosis. “Among women, testing positive for allergen-specific IgE was associated with decreased risk of glioblastoma compared with testing negative (Odds Ratio, OR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.23–0.93).” they reported.
“Among both sexes combined, testing positive for total IgE was associated with decreased risk of glioma compared with testing negative (OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.56–0.99), and simultaneously testing positive for allergen-specific IgE and total IgE was associated with a borderline statistically significantly decreased risk of glioblastoma and glioma compared with simultaneously testing negative for these types of IgE.”
The most important finding of this study was that when the interval between testing positive for total IgE and diagnosis of glioma was at least 20 years, there was a decreased risk of developing the disease, compared with testing negative (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.30–0.99).
