A type of brain cancer that frequently proves difficult or impossible to treat is seen much more rarely in patients with numerous allergies, according to a study from researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Although there is some speculation that the overactive immune systems seen in people with allergies - an allergy, after all, is nothing more than the immune system reacting to something it shouldn't - little can be definitively stated about the relationship between allergies and glioma, the cancer affecting glial cells.

One researcher, Bridget McCarthy, told Health Day News that the unclear nature of the connection between the two health conditions makes conclusions difficult to draw.

"Obviously, it's not like allergies are a modifiable risk factor. You can't tell people to go out and develop allergies. That's not going to happen. And you can't tell people with allergies that, 'You're doing a good thing, and don't try to get rid of them,'" she said.

Nevertheless, the apparent relationship between the two conditions could end up having an effect on health insurance rates, if further evidence is provided.