Immunization of Children with Cancer in India Treated with Chemotherapy – Consensus Guideline from the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Chapter and the Advisory Committee on Vaccination and Immunization Practices of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics

ABSTRACT

Justification Children with cancer need to be immunized against the common vaccine-preventable diseases after completion andsometimes during ongoing treatment of cancer. However, the immunization schedule for these children needs to be altered due todisease and treatment related immune-suppression. Consequently, there are many guidelines/practice statements from around theworld to address this issue, however, there is no such comprehensive guideline from India catering to the need of Indian children withcancer. Process A guideline was drafted after reviewing the available literature. The draft guideline was discussed and modified in ameeting attended by pediatric oncologists from the PHO chapter and vaccine experts from the ACVIP of the IAP. Subsequently, themodified draft was reviewed and recommendations were finalized.Objective: To review the current evidence and generate a nationallyrelevant guideline for immunization of children receiving chemotherapy for cancer. Recommendations: Live vaccines arecontraindicated during and up to 6 months after end of chemotherapy. Non-live vaccines are also best given after 6 months from the endof treatment for durable immunity. Annual inactivated influenza vaccine is the only vaccine recommended for all children duringchemotherapy whereas hepatitis B vaccine is recommended only for previously unimmunised children with risk of transfusion associatedtransmission of infection. Post-treatment re-immunization/catch-up schedule largely depends on the pre-chemotherapy immunizationstatus. Sibling immunization should continue uninterrupted except for oral polio vaccine which needs to be substituted by the injectablevaccine. Inactivated influenza vaccine is recommended and varicella vaccine is encouraged for all contacts including siblings