Could the next blockbuster cancer treatment already be in your medicine cabinet? New research suggests the answer may be yes.

Medical experts with Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond have determined antihistamines — used to treat allergies and cold symptoms — have potent anti-cancer properties and might help ward off tumors.

The findings suggest that antihistamines may interfere with the function of a type of cell that is known to reduce the body's ability to fight tumors — called "myeloid derived suppressor cells, NewsMax Health reports.

This research is very exciting as it draws a connection between two diseases that aren't commonly linked: allergy and cancer. It's important to realize, however, that this connection is very novel and more research is needed before we know if antihistamines can be used effectively in cancer therapies.

 The scientists examined mice in experiments that involved myeloid derived suppressor cells. One group of mice induced to have cancerous tumors were injected with myeloid derived suppressor cells and treated with the antihistamine, cimetidine.

The researchers found that the antihistamine reversed the tumor growth normally seen with myeloid derived suppressor cell injections.

 The scientists also examined blood from patients with allergy symptoms (typically associated with increased histamine release). The scientists found that these patients had greater circulating myeloid derived suppressor cells than people without allergies.