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Risk of lymphoma and leukaemia after bacille Calmette-Guerin and smallpox vaccination: A Danish case-cohort study

Villumsen, Marie ; Sorup, Signe ; Jess, Tine ; Ravn, Henrik ; Relander, Thomas LU ; Baker, Jennifer L. ; Benn, Christine Stabell ; Sorensen, Thorkild I. A. ; Aaby, Peter and Roth, Adam LU (2009) In Vaccine 27(49). p.6950-6958
Abstract
Vaccines may have non-specific effects as suggested mainly in mortality studies from low-income countries. The objective was to examine the effects of BCG and smallpox vaccinations on subsequent risk of lymphoma and leukaemia in a Danish population experiencing rapid out-phasing of these vaccines. In a background cohort (N=47,622) from the Copenhagen School Health Records Register, cases of leukaemia (N=20) and lymphoma (N=51) were identified through the Danish Cancer Registry. The vaccination status of the cases was compared with the vaccination status of a 5% random sample (N = 2073) of the background cohort and analysed in a case-cohort design. BCG vaccination reduced the risk of lymphomas (HR=0.49 (95% CI: 0.26-0.93)), whereas smallpox... (More)
Vaccines may have non-specific effects as suggested mainly in mortality studies from low-income countries. The objective was to examine the effects of BCG and smallpox vaccinations on subsequent risk of lymphoma and leukaemia in a Danish population experiencing rapid out-phasing of these vaccines. In a background cohort (N=47,622) from the Copenhagen School Health Records Register, cases of leukaemia (N=20) and lymphoma (N=51) were identified through the Danish Cancer Registry. The vaccination status of the cases was compared with the vaccination status of a 5% random sample (N = 2073) of the background cohort and analysed in a case-cohort design. BCG vaccination reduced the risk of lymphomas (HR=0.49 (95% CI: 0.26-0.93)), whereas smallpox vaccination did not (HR=1.32 (0.56-3.08)). With the small number of leukaemia cases, the analysis of leukaemia had limited power (BCG vaccination HR=0.81(0.31-2.16); smallpox vaccination HR=1.32 (0.49-3.53)). The present study with very reliable vaccine history information indicates a beneficial effect of BCG vaccination on the risk of lymphomas. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Haematologic malignancies, BCG vaccination, Smallpox vaccination
in
Vaccine
volume
27
issue
49
pages
6950 - 6958
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000272124000021
  • scopus:70350574079
  • pmid:19747577
ISSN
1873-2518
DOI
10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.08.103
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2b85f5e4-4dc1-412e-adf6-d23bde0b9be0 (old id 1517537)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:03:46
date last changed
2025-04-04 15:38:19
@article{2b85f5e4-4dc1-412e-adf6-d23bde0b9be0,
  abstract     = {{Vaccines may have non-specific effects as suggested mainly in mortality studies from low-income countries. The objective was to examine the effects of BCG and smallpox vaccinations on subsequent risk of lymphoma and leukaemia in a Danish population experiencing rapid out-phasing of these vaccines. In a background cohort (N=47,622) from the Copenhagen School Health Records Register, cases of leukaemia (N=20) and lymphoma (N=51) were identified through the Danish Cancer Registry. The vaccination status of the cases was compared with the vaccination status of a 5% random sample (N = 2073) of the background cohort and analysed in a case-cohort design. BCG vaccination reduced the risk of lymphomas (HR=0.49 (95% CI: 0.26-0.93)), whereas smallpox vaccination did not (HR=1.32 (0.56-3.08)). With the small number of leukaemia cases, the analysis of leukaemia had limited power (BCG vaccination HR=0.81(0.31-2.16); smallpox vaccination HR=1.32 (0.49-3.53)). The present study with very reliable vaccine history information indicates a beneficial effect of BCG vaccination on the risk of lymphomas. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Villumsen, Marie and Sorup, Signe and Jess, Tine and Ravn, Henrik and Relander, Thomas and Baker, Jennifer L. and Benn, Christine Stabell and Sorensen, Thorkild I. A. and Aaby, Peter and Roth, Adam}},
  issn         = {{1873-2518}},
  keywords     = {{Haematologic malignancies; BCG vaccination; Smallpox vaccination}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{49}},
  pages        = {{6950--6958}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Vaccine}},
  title        = {{Risk of lymphoma and leukaemia after bacille Calmette-Guerin and smallpox vaccination: A Danish case-cohort study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.08.103}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.08.103}},
  volume       = {{27}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}