Antibody responses to polysaccharide and polysaccharide-conjugate vaccines after treatment of Hodgkin disease

Patients with Hodgkin disease may develop antibodies to the Haemophilus influenzae type B (HIB) vaccine and to vaccines against pneumonia as efficiently as non-Hodgkin people. Immunization with HIB and pneumococcal vaccines may be especially important for Hodgkin disease patients to protect them from developing severe bacterial infections. Researchers gave vaccines to 144 Hodgkin disease patients who had finished treatment and whose disease was diagnosed at least two years earlier. The HIB-conjugate vaccine successfully increased anti-HIB antibodies. Patients responded normally to a 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine and to a 4-valent vaccine for meningitis. Low responses were observed to a 7-valent pneumococcal vaccine. Anyone who has had Hodgkin disease should continue to receive regular immunizations.