PRIOR IMMUNITY-RELATED MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND ESOPHAGEAL CANCER RISK - A POPULATION-BASED CASE-CONTROL STUDY IN SHANGHAI

To investigate the role of immunity-related medical conditions in the aetiology of oesophageal cancer, data were analysed from a population- based case-control study, conducted in Shanghai during 1992-93. Inform ation on histories of selected autoimmune diseases and allergic condit ions was obtained from 163 incident cages of oesophageal cancer and 27 5 age- and sex-matched controls through personal interviews using a st ructured questionnaire. A significant 2.4-fold excess risk (95% CI, 1. 3-4.4) of oesophageal cancer was associated with a history of autoimmu ne diseases after adjustment for age and sex. In contrast, a history o f allergy was associated with a reduced risk (adjusted OR = 0.6, 95% C I = 0.4-0.9), The risk was also reduced 30-40% among individuals who r eported having a moderate or strong skin reaction to mosquito bites. T his study suggests that host immune function mag be involved in the ae tiology of oesophageal cancer, Further investigations into the mechani sm of these observed associations are warranted.