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Regular Article |
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Infant vaccinations and risk of childhood acute
lymphoblastic leukaemia in the USA |
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| F D Groves1, G Gridley1,
S Wacholder1, X O Shu2, L L Robison2, J P Neglia2 and M S Linet1 |
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| 1Division
of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer
Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-7244, USA
2Department of Pediatrics,
University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, USA |
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Abstract |
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| Previous studies have
suggested that infant vaccinations may reduce the risk
of subsequent childhood leukaemia. Vaccination histories
were compared in 439 children (ages 0-14) diagnosed with acute
lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in nine Midwestern and
Mid-Atlantic states (USA) between 1 January 1989 and 30
June 1993 and 439 controls selected by random-digit
dialing and individually matched to cases on age, race
and telephone exchange. Among matched pairs, similar
proportions of cases and controls had received at least
one dose of oral poliovirus (98%), diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis
(97%), and measles-mumps-rubella (90%) vaccines. Only 47%
of cases and 53% of controls had received any
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine
(relative risk (RR) = 0.73; 95% confidence interval (CI)
0.50-1.06). Although similar
proportions of cases (12%) and controls (11%) received
the polysaccharide Hib vaccine (RR = 1.13; 95% CI 0.64-1.98), more controls (41%) than
cases (35%) received the conjugate Hib vaccine (RR =
0.57; 95% CI 0.36-0.89).
Although we found no relationship between most infant
vaccinations and subsequent risk of childhood ALL, our
findings suggest that infants receiving the conjugate
Hib vaccine may be at reduced risk of subsequent
childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Further studies
are needed to confirm this association and, if
confirmed, to elucidate the underlying mechanism.
Ó 1999 Cancer Research
Campaign |
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Keywords |
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| acute lymphoblastic
leukaemia; Haemophilus influenzae; vaccination;
children |
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| Received 24
November 1998; revised 8 February 1999; accepted 9
February 1999 |
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September
1999, Volume 81, Number 1, Pages 175-178 |
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