Abstract 4644: Total IgE serum levels and risk of mature B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)
Authors: Levin Lynn I. , Breen Elizabeth C. , Kitchen Christina R. , Kim Bong K. , Magpantay Larry I. , Martinez-Maza Otoniel 
Published: June 2012

IgE is an immunoglobulin isotype that is associated with allergy, and is produced in response to stimulation of B cells by the type 2 cytokines IL4 and IL13 and subsequent IgH class switch recombination and isotype switching. To determine the association between total IgE and risk of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma, a nested case-control study was conducted among active-duty military personnel with archived serum in the US Department of Defense Serum Repository collected over several years prior to diagnosis of NHL. Cases were identified from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) National Pathology Repository and the military Automated Centralized Tumor Registry (ACTUR). Each case was matched to two controls on age, sex, race, and dates of blood collection. Among study participants, the mean age at diagnosis was 44 years, 91% of the study subjects were male, and 66% were Caucasian. Because so few women were available for study, the analysis was restricted to men. IgE levels were quantified in one to three pre-NHL diagnosis serum specimens and in matched control specimens, using a human IgE ELISA that utilized the CIA-7.12 and CIA-4.15 monoclonal antibodies to IgE (0.67 ng IgE = 1 international unit (IU) as defined by WHO IgE standard NIBSC 75/502); the lower limit of detection in serum samples was 8 ng/ml. No significant differences were found in mean total IgE serum levels among men who went on to develop DLBCL (n=242, mean = 157 ng/ml; 95% CI: 135-180 ng/ml) compared with controls (n=480, mean = 150 ng/ml; 95% CI: 135-164 ng/ml). Similarly, null findings also were noted for men who developed follicular lymphoma (n=123, mean = 107 ng/ml; 95% CI: 82-131 ng/ml), compared with controls (n=244, mean = 120 ng/ml; 95% CI: 103-137 ng/ml). In contrast, mean serum IgE levels were significantly lower prior to multiple myeloma diagnosis (n=38, mean = 66 ng/ml; 95% CI: 50-82 ng/ml) compared with controls (n=75, mean = 136 ng/ml; 95% CI: 101-171 ng/ml) (p=0.006) among men in the same cohort. Using mixed-effects modeling, cases and controls showed no significant differences in total IgE serum levels across the time preceding DLBCL or follicular lymphoma diagnosis, controlling for age, race/ethnicity and time of blood draw. These results are consistent with the conclusion that there is no association of DLBCL or follicular lymphoma with pre-diagnosis total IgE levels. Others have reported that decreased pre-diagnosis levels of allergen-specific IgE were seen in those who developed NHL, or that total IgE levels were decreased post-NHL diagnosis. These data, obtained from pre-cancer diagnosis longitudinal specimens collected from presumably immunocompetent persons, should help elucidate the role of total IgE levels and risk of B cell malignancies.

The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be construed to represent the positions of the Department of the Army or Department of Defense.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4644. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4644