The association between allergic diseases and cancer: a systematic review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Atopic syndrome (allergic rhinitis, asthma and eczema) and food allergies are frequently reported, especially in developed countries. Studies have previously suggested an inverse association between allergic diseases and cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between allergic diseases and different types of cancers by performing a systematic review of the literature. METHODS: A systematic literature search of Ovid Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar was performed for studies on the association between allergic diseases and cancers. RESULTS: We identified a total of 5868 articles through our search, with 145 articles describing an association between allergic diseases and cancers. Allergies were associated with reduced risk of brain cancer, pancreatic cancer and melanoma and with possibly reduced risk of lymphatic and hematopoietic cancer, colorectal cancer, urogenital cancers of women and cancers in general. Asthma, but not atopy without asthma, was however associated with increased risk of lung cancer. There is possibly no association between allergic diseases and the risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer. CONCLUSION: Overall, allergic diseases are inversely associated with the risk of cancers.

Infliximab for IgG4-Related Orbital Disease.

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a systemic fibroinflammatory condition with unclear pathophysiology. It may occur as a single organ disorder, but multiorgan presentation is common and can mimic several conditions. The preferred therapy consists of steroids, but definite maintenance strategy remains unclear. The authors describe a case of a 61-year-old woman, initially diagnosed with idiopathic orbital inflammation refractory to multiple immunosuppressive agents. The disease was complicated with epilepsy, vision loss, and trismus. Treatment with various immunosuppressive agents was unsuccessful. Eventually the patient was effectively treated with infliximab. This is the second case of IgG4-RD treated with a TNF-blocker documented in literature and the first description to demonstrate its superiority over steroid sparing agents. Although speculative, TNF-blockers might exert their effect in IgG4-RD by interfering with the possible overexpressed TNF alpha due to fibrosis in this disease. Treatment with infliximab appears a good alternative for refractory IgG4-RD. However, further studies are required to define the value of infliximab in IgG4-RD.