inverse associations between allergic diseases and malignancies?

[Guest guest]

(Moderator's note: Mark has kindly provided the website for an interesting

abstract suggesting that IgE may act in tumor surveillance and could possibly be

manipulated for tumor control. The abstract makes it clear that it's early

days, but VERY INTERESTING.)

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121356813/abstract?CRETRY=1 & SRETRY=0

Allergy. 2008 Jul 29

AllergoOncology: the role of IgE-mediated allergy in cancer.

Jensen-Jarolim E, Achatz G, MC, Karagiannis S, Legrand F, Capron M,

Penichet ML, Rodríguez JA, Siccardi AG, Vangelista L, Riemer AB, Gould H.

Department of Pathophysiology, Center of Physiology, Pathophysiology and

Immunology, Medical University Vienna, Austria.

Epidemiological studies have suggested inverse associations between allergic

diseases and malignancies.

IgE antibodies specific to overexpressed tumor antigens

IgE nonspecifically attached to tumor cells proved to be a powerful adjuvant

establishing tumor-specific immune memory.