EVALUATION OF VACCINATION RESPONSE IN CHILDREN AFTER TREATMENT FOR ACUTE LEUKEMIA

Abstract

Objective: Our study aims to evaluate the patients’ immunity regarding childhood vaccination after leukemia treatment and determine the vaccines that require additional doses. Methodology: Sixty-six patients who were followed up with the diagnosis of ALL and AML between 2013 and 2016 were included in our study. The patient's gender, age at diagnosis, leukemia type, leukemia risk groups, vaccination status before chemotherapy (CT) and serologies of hepatitis A, hepatitis B, varicella, measles, rubella, mumps at the end of CT were recorded. Results: At the end of the treatment, loss of protective antibody response against hepatitis A (47.4%), hepatitis B (68.2%), varicella (64.2%), measles (45.5%), rubella (43.9%), and mumps (50%) vaccines were shown. Loss of protective antibodies against hepatitis A (66.7%), hepatitis B (100%), varicella (100%), measles (100%), rubella (91.7%), and mumps (91.7%) in high-risk ALL patients was higher than patients in standard-intermediate risk ALL. Conclusion: Loss of humoral immunity against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, varicella, MMR was shown in patients with leukemia at the end of the treatment. Due to the significant decrease in hepatitis B and MMR protective antibodies in the high-risk group, we recommend patients with leukemia who have completed chemotherapy to be vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine three months and MMR vaccine six months after the treatment.