Allergic disease and risk of multiple myeloma: A case-control study

Multiple myeloma (MM) is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality, yet our knowledge regarding MM aetiology remains limited. We investigated whether a history of allergic conditions is associated with MM risk.

Incident cases (n = 782) of MM were recruited via cancer registries in Victoria and NSW. Controls (n = 733) were siblings (n = 436) or spouses (n = 297) of cases. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for associations between self-reported allergic conditions (asthma, eczema, food allergy, hay fever) and MM risk.

Eczema was inversely associated with MM risk (OR = 0.54, 95 %CI = 0.42-0.70), as was a combined history of food allergy and eczema (OR = 0.52, 95 %CI = 0.29-0.93). There was an inverse association between a history of any allergic condition (compared with none) and risk of MM (OR = 0.68, 95 %CI = 0.55-0.84). In the mean-centred dose-risk analysis the OR was 0.87 (95 %CI = 0.73-1.04) per additional allergic condition of interest. No notable associations were identified for food allergy, asthma, or hay fever alone.

We found that a history of allergic disease, particularly eczema, was associated with reduced MM risk. Further research is recommended to confirm findings and investigate potential mechanisms.