Cancer and skin sensitivity to intradermal histamine: a preliminary report.

Any meaningful relationship of histamine concentrations, serum IgE concentrations, and the prevalence of cancer is unproven. Several reports indicate that tumor growth is associated with an increased synthesis of histamine. Others demonstrate decreased blood histamine levels and reduced cutaneous response to intradermal histamine in patients with solid malignant tumors. We have evaluated skin sensitivity to intradermal histamine injection, and IgE levels in cancer patients either with or without metastasis. Our data reveal no differences for histamine-induced wheal and flare areas between normal subjects and patients with neoplastic disease (with or without metastasis). In addition serum IgE concentrations were not statistically different. Skin sensitivity to intradermal histamine is not decreased in patients with cancer.