Humoral immune response of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivors against the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination

Background: There is a great risk of infection with viral-vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) infections after the end of chemotherapy treatment of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which could have been prevented with MMR vaccination. Previous studies reported widely variable rates of seropositivity (seroprotection) for MMR after ALL treatment ends. Also, few studies evaluated the response to MMR booster vaccinations after the end of ALL treatment and reported unclear and difficult to interpret results. Material and methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study evaluated the prevalence of seropositive (protection) antibody titer levels for MMR among ALL childhood survivors who were followed-up at Jeddah Oncology Center, Saudi Arabia. The aim of the study was also to investigate and analyze the response of seronegative patients to a booster MMR vaccination. Results: Fifty-seven ALL children were evaluated. Thirty-five patients (61.4%) were seropositive/seroprotected and the remaining 22 patients (38.6%) were seronegative for MMR. ALL Children under the age of 5 years had a higher prevalence of seronegative titers. Interestingly, the prevalence of seroprotection decreased as the time interval increased post-treatment, while seroconversion rates after administering a booster MMR vaccine were 57.1%, 87.5%, and 78.6%, respectively for MMR. Conclusion: We suggest the need for booster MMR vaccination, especially for ALL children under the age of 5 years and those who experienced a protracted time interval post-treatment.