title: Escalated regimen of hepatitis B vaccine in childhood hematological malignancies while on chemotherapy.
abstract: This prospective study was conducted to find the effective vaccination schedule against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection for children with hematological malignancies. Sixty patients ages 2-15 years old with hematological malignancies on chemotherapy, negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and never vaccinated for HBV before, were vaccinated with 40 microg of vaccine at 0, 1 and 2 months. Antibody titers were measured 6 weeks after administration of last dose. Out of the 60 children enrolled, 5 died during the course of treatment and 4 dropped out before completion, leaving 51 for final analysis. More than 70% exhibited protective levels of antibodies (> 10 mIU/ml) against hepatitis B virus. There were no significant effects of age or sex on the antibody response, although antibodies were higher among girls (90.9%) than boys (65%). Patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were found to exhibit a better antibody response than leukemic children (p = 0.024). Children with hematological cancers should be vaccinated with an escalated regimen of the vaccine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Child Health (ICH) and Shishu Sasthya Foundation Hospital, Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Nobokrishna
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mannan
authors.forename: Forhad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Monjur
authors.forename: Farhana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rizwan
authors.forename: A F M
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Salim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000378:metabolism; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines