Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of 277 children and adolescents with cancer according to pneumococcal carriage
| All children (n = 277) | Carriers (n = 52) | Non-carriers (n = 225) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at enrolment | ||||
| <10 | 124 (44.8) | 35 (67.3) | 89 (39.6) | |
| 10-14 | 102 (36.8) | 12 (23.1) | 90 (40.0) | |
| ≥15 | 51 (18.4) | 5 (9.6) | 46 (20.4) | <0.01 |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 183 (66.1) | 34 (65.4) | 149 (66.2) | |
| Female | 94 (33.9) | 18 (34.6) | 76 (33.8) | 0.91 |
| Ethnicity | ||||
| Caucasian | 257 (92.8) | 50 (96.1) | 207 (92.0) | |
| Non-Caucasian | 20 (7.2) | 2 (3.9) | 18 (8.0) | 0.39 |
| Diagnosis | ||||
| Leukemia/lymphoma | 235 (84.8) | 47 (90.4) | 188 (83.6) | |
| Other cancers | 42 (15.2) | 5 (9.6) | 37 (16.4) | 0.22 |
| Phase | ||||
| Maintenance/In therapy | 159 (57.4) | 24 (46.1) | 135 (60.0) | |
| Therapy stopped within the last 6 months | 118 (42.6) | 28 (53.9) | 90 (40.0) | 0.07 |
| Co-trimoxazole prophylaxis | ||||
| No | 57 (20.6) | 18 (34.6) | 39 (17.3) | |
| Yes | 220 (79.4) | 34 (65.4) | 186 (82.7) | <0.01 |
| No. of siblings | ||||
| 0 | 61 (22.0) | 16 (30.8) | 45 (20.0) | |
| 1 | 133 (48.0) | 22 (42.3) | 111 (49.3) | |
| 2 | 56 (20.2) | 9 (17.3) | 47 (20.9) | |
| ≥3 | 27 (9.8) | 5 (9.6) | 22 (9.8) | 0.28 |
| Parental smoking habit | ||||
| Both non-smokers | 168 (60.6) | 31 (59.6) | 137 (60.9) | |
| At least one smoker | 109 (39.4) | 21 (40.4) | 88 (39.1) | 0.87 |
| Gestational age (weeks)a | ||||
| <37 | 18 (6.5) | 4 (7.8) | 14 (6.2) | |
| ≥37 | 258 (93.5) | 47 (92.2) | 211 (93.8) | 0.75 |
| Birth weight (g)a | ||||
| <2,500 | 10 (3.6) | 1 (2.0) | 9 (4.0) | |
| ≥2,500 | 265 (96.4) | 50 (98.0) | 215 (96.0) | 0.69 |
| Exclusive breastfeeding | ||||
| No | 61 (22.0) | 12 (23.1) | 49 (21.8) | |
| Yes | 216 (78.0) | 40 (76.9) | 176 (78.2) | 0.84 |
| Infections (last 3 months) | ||||
| No | 222 (80.1) | 46 (88.5) | 176 (78.2) | |
| Yes | 55 (19.9) | 6 (11.5) | 49 (21.8) | 0.10 |
| Allergy | ||||
| No | 230 (83.0) | 46 (88.5) | 184 (81.8) | |
| Yes | 47 (17.0) | 6 (11.5) | 41 (18.2) | 0.25 |
| Meningococcal vaccinationa | ||||
| No | 201 (73.6) | 36 (69.2) | 165 (74.7) | |
| Yes | 72 (26.4) | 16 (30.8) | 56 (25.3) | 0.42 |
| Influenza vaccination during current season | ||||
| No | 263 (94.9) | 45 (86.5) | 218 (96.9) | |
| Yes | 14 (5.1) | 7 (13.5) | 7 (3.1) | 0.007 |
a
Some missing values.