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Assessment of hepatitis B virus antibody titers in childhood cancer survivors

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Abstract

Pediatric patients suffering from cancer are at risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and its related complications even though it is considered a vaccine preventable disease. Little is known of the effects of chemotherapy, and even less is known regarding the impact of HBV booster on HBV antibody titers. It is the purpose of this study to investigate and measure the prevalence of the antihepatitis B surface antibodies (HBsAb) in childhood cancer survivors after completion of their chemotherapy treatment and to further evaluate survivors’ response to a single booster dose of HBV vaccine. This observational, cross-sectional retrospective study included 43 patients, of which 37 (86%) were found to be seronegative (HBsAb titer <10 mIU/ml). The notable result was that, of the seronegative patients who received a booster dose of HBV vaccine, 90% of the tested cases exhibited a successful raising of HBsAb titers >10 mIU/ml.

Conclusion: Childhood cancer survivors have high seronegative rates for HBV and the majority of the patients achieved HBsAb titer > 10mIU/ml with a single booster dose of HBV vaccine, which is worth further investigation and research. This study suggests revaccination against HBV post-chemotherapy treatment, as the recommended advice, especially in countries with a high prevalence of HBV infection.

What is Known:

• There is a variable prevalence of low HBsAb titers measured after the end of chemotherapy in childhood cancer survivors.

• There are no universal guidelines for revaccination of these patients.

What is New:

• This research identified that 86% of childhood cancer survivors treated with standard chemotherapy were seronegative for HBV infection.

• A single booster dose HBV vaccine was successful for the majority of patients (90%) to achieve HBsAb titers >10 mIU/ml.

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Fig. 1

Abbreviations

ALL:

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia

HBcAb:

Hepatitis B core antibodies

HBeAg:

Hepatitis B e antigen

HBsAb:

Hepatitis B surface antibodies

HBsAg:

Hepatitis B surface antigen

HBV:

Hepatitis B virus

ITR-3:

Treatment Rating Scale, version 3.0

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Oncology Division, Oncology Center-Jeddah, King Abdullah Medical City, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Najwa Yahya Fayea

  2. Pediatric Department, Mansoura University Children Hospital, Mansoura Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Al-Gomhoria Street, Al-Mansoura, 35516, Egypt

    Shaimaa Mohamed Kandil & Ashraf Elsayed Fouda

  3. Medical School, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Khadijah Boujettif

Authors
  1. Najwa Yahya Fayea
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  2. Shaimaa Mohamed Kandil
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  3. Khadijah Boujettif
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  4. Ashraf Elsayed Fouda
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Contributions

Najwa Fayea: research idea, study design, selection of cases, follow-up, manuscript revision, final approval of the study

Shaimaa Kandil: research idea, manuscript writing, critical review, manuscript revision, final approval of the study

Khadijah Boujettif: English editing of the manuscript, manuscript revision, final approval of the study

Ashraf Fouda: research idea, statistical analysis of data, manuscript revision, final approval of the study

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ashraf Elsayed Fouda.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were according to the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

IRB approval

Approved

Additional information

Communicated by Peter de Winter

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Fayea, N.Y., Kandil, S.M., Boujettif, K. et al. Assessment of hepatitis B virus antibody titers in childhood cancer survivors. Eur J Pediatr 176, 1269–1273 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-017-2970-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-017-2970-4

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