title: Assessment of antibody titers and immunity to Hepatitis B in children receiving chemotherapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a decrease in vaccine-specific antibody to certain vaccine-preventable diseases in children after chemotherapy, but the frequency of non-immune patients is not clear. In the present case-control study, was taken under investigation protection level to Hepatitis B infection in children 6 months after completing chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study 68 patients with cancer and 68 healthy children were enrolled. Patients were 1.5 -12 years old with completed standard chemotherapy at least for 6 months. All the patients and healthy children were negative for HBsAg and HBeAg and had received Hepatitis B vaccination. IgG antibody concentrations against Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) were determined in the patients receiving chemotrapy and healthy subjects serum by ELISA method. IgG antibody titer > 10 mIU/ml was considered as baseline protective titer for preventing HBV infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anti-HBs antibody titer in 19.12% of patients was less than 10 mIU/ml and 11.76% of the patients had borderline antibody titer (10-20 mIU/ml). In healthy subjects, 2.94% and 5.88% had antibody titer < 10 mIU/ml and 10-20 mIU/ml, respectively. According to statistical analysis, frequency of non immune subjects in children with cancer was significantly higher than those in healthy children (P-value=0.024).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HBV vaccination post-intensive chemotherapy in the children with cancer is strongly recommended.
authors.affiliation: Immunology department, Faculty of medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shams Shahemabadi
authors.affiliation: Central laboratory of Yazd, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Salehi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Hematology, Oncology and Genetics Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hashemi
authors.affiliation: Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medcine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services , Yazd ,Iran.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vakili
authors.affiliation: Immunology department, Faculty of medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zare
authors.affiliation: Saman Complex, Yazd,Iran.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Esphandyari
authors.affiliation: Immunology department, Faculty of medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kashanian
keywords: Hepatitis B; Immunity; Vaccination