Fewer cases of melanoma and cancers in extracutaneous sites among people with atopy
Source: Eurek! Alert, March 2023
Fewer cases of melanoma were observed in people with a history of atopic diseases, such as allergic asthma or rhinitis, than in nonatopic people. The risk of melanoma in people with atopy was up to 50% lower than in the control group. In addition, people with atopy had a considerably lower overall risk of skin cancer, according to estimates by experienced dermatologists. The prevalence of cancers in extracutaneous sites was also lower in atopic people. The study, conducted in collaboration between the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital, included nearly 500 people with an increased risk of skin cancer. The findings were published in Melanoma Research.
Atopic diseases, such as allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis, have become increasingly prevalent in industrialised countries over the past decades. The prevalence of skin cancers, too, has increased, which has raised questions about a possible association between the two. Indeed, the association of atopic diseases and skin cancer has been studied before, but with somewhat inconclusive results. Studies have suggested that chronic inflammation associated with atopic diseases, or an abnormal immune response, may either contribute to the development of cancer, or prevent it.
“The latest theory is that the skin has a naturally occurring autoreactive immunoglobulin E response that could protect against carcinogens and skin damage leading to cancer. This theory makes sense because atopic diseases typically involve an IgE-mediated allergy, so the protective mechanism may be even more pronounced in atopic skin,” says Professor Ilkka Harvima, who led the study at the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital.