Adult survivors of childhood cancer have an increased incidence of hepatitis due to immunosuppression and frequent blood transfusions. The immunization of children with cancer is critical for hepatitis prevention, however, access to vaccination may be restricted during times of war, such as the Syrian armed conflict. The goal of this study was to assess the pretreatment serological status of hepatitis A, B, and C in 48 Syrian refugee children with cancer diagnosed in our center between 2014 and 2021. The control group consisted of 48 Turkish children with cancer who were age, sex, and disease-matched. Fifty-eight boys and 38 girls, with a median age of 4.8 years, were included. There were 42 patients with hematological malignancies, 20 with central nervous tumors, and 34 with other solid tumors. The frequency of hepatitis A seroprevalence was not statistically different between Syrian and Turkish patients, whereas hepatitis B seroprotectivity was found to be significantly lower in Syrian children with cancer than in Turkish children. Two Syrian patients were hepatitis C virus-positive. Thirty-seven percent and 45% of all patients were seronegative for hepatitis B and hepatitis A, respectively. Our findings support the need for hepatitis screening and, if necessary, vaccination of this vulnerable population before chemotherapy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.