Thurday May 1, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study published in the medical journal Cancer Epidemiology and Biomarkers Prevention suggests that some allergies are associated with reduced risk of pancreatic cancer.

Michelle Cotterchio from Prevention and Cancer Control, Cancer Care Ontario in Toronto, ON, Canada and colleagues conducted the study and found people living with some allergies were less likely to develop pancreatic cancer.

The population-based case-control study was based on data from 345 cases of pancreatic cancer identified in the Ontario Cancer Registry and 1285 controls were identified from a general population.   All subjects were surveyed for their lifetime allergy history including type of allergy, age at onset, skin prick test status, use of allergy medications and known risk factors for pancreatic cancer.

People suffering hay fever were found 32 percent less likely to develop pancreatic cancer and those whose skin prick test was positive for hay fever allergens were even less likely to be diagnosed with the disease.

Those whose skin prick test were positive for dust/mold allergy or who had animal allergies were at 51% and 32% reduced risk for pancreatic cancer, respectively.

Asthma was not associated with pancreatic cancer risk.

Pancreatic cancer is the most dangerous cancer.  Less than 10% of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer survive over 5 years and its etiology remains largely unknown although some studies suggest allergies are correlated with reduced risk of pancreatic cancer.  (David Liu)