Immune response to influenza vaccination in children with cancer

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of influenza immunization to evoke a protective immune response among children with cancer. We evaluated 75 children with cancer who received influenza vaccination. Hemagglutination Inhibition Antibody titers were determined before and after vaccination. The protective rates after vaccination were 79% for H1N1, 75% for H3N2 and 59% for influenza B virus whereas the seroconversion rates were 54%, 44% and 43% respectively. The differences pre- and post-vaccination were significant regardless the method which was used: seroprotection changes, seroconversion and geometric mean titers analyses. Variables such as the pre-vaccination antibody titers, the time when the responses were measured after the vaccination, the age and the type of malignancy as well as the absolute lymphocyte count were found to be correlated with the immune response but the findings were different for each vaccine subunit. In conclusion, influenza vaccination provides protection in a remarkable proportion of pediatric cancer patients whereas this protection is more obvious against H1N1 and H3N2 compared to influenza B. The immune response after vaccination is significant and seems to be influenced by a variety of factors.

Baseline CD3+CD56+ (NKT-like) Cells and the Outcome of Influenza Vaccination in Children Undergoing Chemotherapy

“…In a previous study we evaluated the immune response and safety of concomitant trivalent-inactivated vaccine for seasonal influenza viruses (H1N1, H3N2 and B), and monovalent-inactivated vaccine for the 2009 pandemic influenza A virus in children undergoing chemotherapy ( 4 ). In agreement with several other studies ( 5 – 9 ), we verified that a higher baseline absolute lymphocyte count may enhance the immune response to influenza vaccination. A remaining question is which specific lymphocyte subpopulation could be responsible for this enhancement.…”

Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Among Patients With Cancer: A Population-Based Study Using Health Administrative and Laboratory Testing Data From Ontario, Canada

“…3,[32][33][34] Recent studies in pediatric patients with hematologic cancers were not able to demonstrate VE with influenza vaccination. [35][36][37] Although our results identified significant differences in VE between patients with solid tumors and those with hematologic malignancies, we could not determine the extent to which this difference was due to disease versus treatment-associated immunosuppression. Our results support disease-related differences because VE among patients with hematologic cancer was reduced regardless of active chemotherapy usage.…”

Respuesta inmune humoral inducida por la vacuna influenza en niños con diagnóstico de leucemia linfoblástica aguda

“…Respecto a los factores que influyeron en la respuesta inmune humoral inducida por la vacuna, destacó la edad, observándose una mejor respuesta en niños mayores. Esta relación ha sido observada por otros investigadores en niños sanos y con cáncer, encontrando una mejor seroprotección en niños sobre 9 años de edad 37,38 . Se han descrito otros factores que influyen en la respuesta inmune, como el recuento de linfocitos, la concentración de inmunoglobulinas y la quimioterapia 8, 32,37 .…”