Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33552984›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in oncology2020

Vaccination and the Risk of Childhood Cancer-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Manuela Marron, Lara Kim Brackmann, Pia Kuhse, Lara Christianson, Ingo Langner, Ulrike Haug, Wolfgang Ahrens

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in oncology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. BMJ open · 2026
    Article
  3. Frontiers in immunology · 2025
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. "Trained Immunity" fromFrontiers in immunology · 2023
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Manuela MarronLeibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Department Epidemiological Methods and Etiological Research, Bremen, Germany.
Lara Kim BrackmannLeibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Department Epidemiological Methods and Etiological Research, Bremen, Germany.
Pia KuhseLeibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Department Epidemiological Methods and Etiological Research, Bremen, Germany.
Lara ChristiansonLeibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Library, Bremen, Germany.
Ingo LangnerLeibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Department Clinical Epidemiology, Bremen, Germany.
Ulrike HaugLeibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Department Clinical Epidemiology, Bremen, Germany.
Wolfgang AhrensLeibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology-BIPS, Department Epidemiological Methods and Etiological Research, Bremen, Germany.
Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS · DEUniversity of Bremen · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionInfections may play a role in the etiology of childhood cancer and immunizations may be protective because vaccinations stimulate the immune system. Observational studies reported inconsistent associations between vaccination and risk of childhood cancer. Since a synthesis of the evidence is lacking, we conducted a meta-analysis stratified by histological and site-specific cancer.

methodsWe performed a systematic review (CRD42020148579) following PRISMA guidelines and searched for literature in MEDLINE, Embase, and the Science Citation Index databases. We identified in three literature databases 7,594 different articles of which 35 met the inclusion criteria allowing for 27 analyses of 11 cancer outcomes after exposure to nine different types of vaccinations. We calculated summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using random effects models.

resultsWe observed four inverse associations between childhood leukemia and certain vaccines as well as the number of vaccinations: OR 0.49 (95% CI = 0.32 to 0.74) for leukemia death after bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination; OR 0.76 (95% CI = 0.65 to 0.90) for acute lymphoblastic leukemia after Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccination; OR 0.57 (95% CI = 0.36 to 0.88) for leukemia; and OR 0.62 (95% CI = 0.46 to 0.85) for acute lymphoblastic leukemia after three or more vaccinations of any type. All other conducted analyses did not show any associations. DISCUSSION: The results are consistent with the hypothesis that vaccinations reduce the risk of childhood leukemia. However, the robustness and validity of these results is limited due to the small number, substantial heterogeneity, and methodological limitations of available studies.

Indexed as

acute lymphoblastic leukemiachildhood leukemiaimmune systemimmunizationleukemia death

Identifiers

PMID33552984
PMCPMC7862764
OpenAlexW3125351764

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.