TY - JOUR
T1 - Relationship between low serum immunoglobulin E levels and malignancies in 9/11 World Trade Center responders
AU - Ferastraoaru, Denisa
AU - Zeig-Owens, Rachel
AU - Goldfarb, David G.
AU - Mueller, Alexandra K.
AU - Hall, Charles B.
AU - Weiden, Michael D.
AU - Schwartz, Theresa
AU - Prezant, David J.
AU - Rosenstreich, David
N1 - Funding Information:
Disclosures: Dr Zeig-Owens, Mr Goldfarb, Ms Mueller, Ms Schwartz, and Dr Prezant have received grant and contract support from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Dr Hall has received grant and/or contract support from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the National Institute of Aging, and the National Cancer Institute; has received honoraria from Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Iowa; and has received compensation for serving on grant application review panels for the National Institutes of Health. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to report. Funding: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health contracts 200-2011-39383, 200-2011-39378, 200-2017-93426, and 200-2017-93326 were used to obtain samples and case information, and clean the data. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health grants U01 OH011302 and U01 OH011682 were used to obtain immunoglobulin E levels outside of clinical use.
Funding Information:
Disclosures: Dr Zeig-Owens, Mr Goldfarb, Ms Mueller, Ms Schwartz, and Dr Prezant have received grant and contract support from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Dr Hall has received grant and/or contract support from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the National Institute of Aging, and the National Cancer Institute; has received honoraria from Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Iowa; and has received compensation for serving on grant application review panels for the National Institutes of Health. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to report.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - Background: Individuals with very low immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels have a high risk of developing malignancy. Previous studies have revealed that World Trade Center (WTC) responders exposed to carcinogens have an elevated risk of some cancers. Objective: To evaluate the association between low-serum IgE levels and cancer development in WTC-exposed responders. Methods: IgE levels were measured in 1851 WTC responders after September 11, 2001. This is the first pilot study in humans comparing the odds of developing cancer in this high-risk population, between the “low-IgE” (IgE in the lowest third percentile) vs “non–low-IgE” participants. Results: A significantly higher proportion of hematologic malignancies was found in low-IgE (4/55, 7.3%) compared with non–low-IgE (26/1796, 1.5%, P < .01) responders. The proportion of solid tumors were similar in both groups (5.5% vs 11.4%, P >. 05). After adjustment for relevant confounders (race, sex, age at blood draw, WTC arrival time, smoking status), the low-IgE participants had 7.81 times greater odds (95% confidence interval, 1.77-29.35) of developing hematologic cancer when compared with non–low-IgE participants. The hematologic cancers found in this cohort were leukemia (n = 1), multiple myeloma (n = 1), and lymphoma (n = 2). No statistical significance was found when estimating the odds ratio for solid tumors in relation to IgE levels. Conclusion: WTC responders with low serum IgE levels had the highest odds of developing hematologic malignancies. This hypothesis-generating study suggests that low serum IgE levels might be associated with the development of specific malignancies in at-risk individuals exposed to carcinogens. Larger, multicenter studies with adequate follow-up of individuals with different IgE levels are needed to better evaluate this relationship.
AB - Background: Individuals with very low immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels have a high risk of developing malignancy. Previous studies have revealed that World Trade Center (WTC) responders exposed to carcinogens have an elevated risk of some cancers. Objective: To evaluate the association between low-serum IgE levels and cancer development in WTC-exposed responders. Methods: IgE levels were measured in 1851 WTC responders after September 11, 2001. This is the first pilot study in humans comparing the odds of developing cancer in this high-risk population, between the “low-IgE” (IgE in the lowest third percentile) vs “non–low-IgE” participants. Results: A significantly higher proportion of hematologic malignancies was found in low-IgE (4/55, 7.3%) compared with non–low-IgE (26/1796, 1.5%, P < .01) responders. The proportion of solid tumors were similar in both groups (5.5% vs 11.4%, P >. 05). After adjustment for relevant confounders (race, sex, age at blood draw, WTC arrival time, smoking status), the low-IgE participants had 7.81 times greater odds (95% confidence interval, 1.77-29.35) of developing hematologic cancer when compared with non–low-IgE participants. The hematologic cancers found in this cohort were leukemia (n = 1), multiple myeloma (n = 1), and lymphoma (n = 2). No statistical significance was found when estimating the odds ratio for solid tumors in relation to IgE levels. Conclusion: WTC responders with low serum IgE levels had the highest odds of developing hematologic malignancies. This hypothesis-generating study suggests that low serum IgE levels might be associated with the development of specific malignancies in at-risk individuals exposed to carcinogens. Larger, multicenter studies with adequate follow-up of individuals with different IgE levels are needed to better evaluate this relationship.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.anai.2022.07.012
DO - 10.1016/j.anai.2022.07.012
M3 - Article
C2 - 35872243
AN - SCOPUS:85136764854
SN - 1081-1206
VL - 129
SP - 769
EP - 775
JO - Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
JF - Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
IS - 6
ER -
