Association of immunoglobulin E levels with glioma risk and survival

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackgroundPrevious epidemiological studies have reported an association of serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels with reduced glioma risk, but the association between IgE and glioma prognosis is not well characterized. This study aimed to examine how sex, tumor subtype, and IgE class modulate the association of serum IgE levels with glioma risk and survival.MethodsWe conducted a case-control study using participants from the University of California, San Francisco Adult Glioma Study (1997-2010). Serum IgE levels for total, respiratory and food allergy were measured in adults diagnosed with glioma (n=1,696) and cancer-free controls (n=1,135) matched based on age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Logistic regression was adjusted for patient demographics to assess the association between IgE levels and glioma risk. Multivariable Cox regression adjusted for patient-specific and tumor-specific factors compared survival between the elevated and normal IgE groups.ResultsElevated total IgE was associated with reduced risk ofIDHwildtype (OR=0.65, 95% CI: 0.54-0.78) andIDHmutant glioma (OR=0.65, 95% CI: 0.50-0.85). In multivariable Cox regression, elevated respiratory IgE was associated with improved survival forIDHwildtype glioma (HR=0.78, 95% CI: 0.67-0.91). The reduction in mortality risk was more pronounced in females (HR=0.71, 95% CI: 0.53-0.96) than in males (HR=0.80, 95% CI: 0.66-0.97), with improvements in median survival of 6.2 months (P<.001) and 1.6 months (P=0.003), respectively.ConclusionElevated serum IgE was associated with improved prognosis forIDHwildtype glioma, with a more pronounced protective effect in females. These results suggest a possible sexual dimorphism and antitumor activity of IgE-mediated immune responses.