Is there a connection between my sulfite allergy, and the development of my thyroid and breast cancer?

This is a question that I have been pondering over for quite some time. I have researched this topic- the possible connection between having certain  allergies and having some type of cancer- but I can not find a definitive study that will answer this question. When I was first diagnosed with sulfite allergy, in about 2004, it really took some rather intense  sleuthing to discover what was making me have anaphylactic  reactions several times a week. I was fortunate to find an excellent allergist, and the process involved  eliminating and adding foods and using a food diary to come to a conclusion. There is no real treatment for this. I just have to practice avoidance of any foods that might contain sulfite preservatives. And believe me, the list is much shorter if I chose to write down all foods that do NOT contain sulfite preservatives. Another consideration is medications( there are more than 1,000 medications that contain sulfites) along with some  topical creams and ointments, and cosmetics. In addition to "plain" sulfites, these preservatives are also listed as bisulfites, metabisulfites, and sulfur dioxide. If one is allergic, or just sensitive to sulfites, be sure to check all of the ways sulfites may be listed on a product. And, a manufacturer is only required to list any sulfite preservatives if they are in excess of 10 parts per million. For a complete list of foods, and how much sulfite preservatives that they contain ( in parts per million) you can go to VeryWell Health, and look under " Sulfite allergy Overview and foods to avoid."

In one of my theories, and this is merely my opinion,  perhaps my immune system was so compromised trying to fight off my thyroid cancer that I developed an usually intense reaction to sulfite preservatives, and sulfite containing food and products. My surgeon said that I had had thyroid cancer for  a long time before it was diagnosed. My allergist told me, about six months before my thyroid cancer was diagnosed, that she felt that I had cancer in my body somewhere. Imagine being told that! But she was correct; as I said, about six months later my thyroid cancer was diagnosed and the rest is history, I guess you could say. I asked my allergist, right after my thyroid cancer surgery and treatment, if my anaphylactic reactions to sulfites would go away and she said unfortunately, no. Once those allergy pathways have been established, they are usually permanent.

Of course, if a person has seasonal allergies, or allergic to cats or whatever, this does not mean that this person has cancer! But if a person is having anaphylactic reactions on a fairly regular basis, it would be a good idea to have a general check up, to make sure that there is nothing else going on. And I am speaking mostly about adults here- not children, who may  sometimes have serious allergies to foods, but may outgrow them later on in life.

An interesting fact that I read in an article on PLOS ONE, published online on October 18, 2017, Bok-Luel Lee, Editor, in association with the University of Hawaii Maui College, Kahului, Hawaii, stated that " Sulfites inhibit the growth of four species of beneficial gut bacteria at concentrations regarded as safe for food." The conclusion the researchers came to by their experiments with sulfite preservatives on gut bacteria is as follows: " ...these preservatives may be altering the gut and/or mouth microbiome. Therefore, it would be worth further examination as a possible contributor to diseases related to a dysbiotic human microbiota." To translate, ha, this means a microbial imbalance.
Or to explain further, in a compelling theory proposed by Michael Pollan and Ruth Reichl, " It is very possible that the master key to unlocking chronic disease will turn out to be the health and composition of the microbiota in your gut."  I think that this is a plausible theory, and one that warrants further research.

As for me, I do think there is some kind of connection between my sulfite allergy and the development of my cancers. Which came first- the allergy or the cancer, and  what that connection was may not be discovered for some time. Personally, I would like to know so that I could pass it along, and ideally help others have better health. Until then, I can only say, " Greek yogurt, anyone?" Or perhaps adding an oral probiotic would not hurt.