Immunogenicity of the Cuban anti-hepatitis B recombinant DNA vaccine in patients with Hematological Malignancies

Parenteral-transmitted viral hepatitis is a significant health problem in persons with hematological malignancies that is why prevention measures against them are needed. One of the most important interventions is the prophylactic vaccination against hepatitis B virus infection. The results of a clinical trial using the Cuban antihepatitis B recombinant DNA vaccine in a group of adult patients belonging to 4 different chemotherapy status groups are shown. At 3, 12 and 18 months after the first dose the percentages of seroprotection were 63.33%, 72.66% and 78.33% respectively. There were differences in the immune response in relation to the treatment group. The geometric mean titre (GMT) at 3, 12 and 18 months was 46.53 IU/L (CI=23.57-67.36), 16.78 IU/L (CI=11.94-23.57) and 50.4 IU/L (CI=29.3786.49) respectively. The Cuban antihepatitis B vaccine stimulates an acceptable immune response in adult patients with haematological malignancies preferably when it is started at the diagnosis and prior to the start of chemotherapy.