EPID-18THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ALLERGIC CONDITIONS AND PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMORS IN NEUROFIBROMATOSIS TYPE 1

Evidence from studies of brain tumors, particularly adult gliomas, suggests that allergic conditions may protect against these tumors. It is widely recognized that individuals with the common genetic syndrome, Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), are predisposed to developing pediatric brain tumors (PBTs), particularly optic gliomas; however, risk factors are not well defined. In this study, we sought to evaluate associations between allergic conditions and PBTs in NF1. NF1 subjects were ascertained from two data sources: (1) the NF1 Patient Registry Initiative (NPRI, n = 1672) and (2) medical records (MRs) from a large medical center (n = 629). Using logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), we determined associations between NPRI participant- or MR-reported PBTs and allergic condition diagnoses (allergies, asthma, and eczema). We observed significant positive associations between medication allergies and PBTs for both data sources, but not for other allergy types or eczema. Weak non-significant inverse associations between PBTs and asthma were observed (NPRI: OR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.55-1.17; MR: OR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.40-1.28), with a significant inverse association (OR = 0.60; 95% CI 0.36-0.89) detected in an NPRI subgroup analysis that excluded PBT cases (and a matched non-case) whose asthma diagnosis was reported to occur after their PBT diagnosis. No significant associations were observed in similar analyses for eczema or allergies. In conclusion, our study supports a possible role for asthma in PBT risk in NF1. However, these results should be considered exploratory in light of limitations of both data sources with additional replication required to make firm conclusions.