Researchers from Ohio State University found that men and women whose blood samples contained allergy-related antibodies had an almost 50 per cent lower risk of developing glioblastoma, 20 years later compared to people without signs of allergies.
The study analysed stored blood samples that were taken from patients decades before they were diagnosed with glioma.
It found that women whose blood samples tested positive for specific allergy antibodies had at least a 50 per cent lower risk for glioblastoma.
This effect for specific antibodies was not seen in men. However, men who tested positive for both specific antibodies and antibodies of unknown function had a 20 per cent lower risk of this tumour than did men who tested negative.
"The longer before glioma diagnosis that the effect of allergies is present, the less likely it is that the tumour is suppressing allergies. Seeing this association so long before tumour diagnosis suggests that antibodies or some aspect of allergy is reducing tumour risk," Judith Schwartzbaum, the lead author of the study, said.
"It could be that in allergic people, higher levels of circulating antibodies may stimulate the immune system, and that could lower the risk of glioma," said Schwartzbaum in a statement.
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"Absence of allergy is the strongest risk factor identified so far for this brain tumour, and there is still more to understand about how this association works," Schwartzbaum added.
The study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.