Increased risk of invasive pneumococcal disease in haematological and solid-organ malignancies

Large-scale population-based studies have reported a significant increase in invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in those with underlying haematological or solid-organ malignancy, but limited condition-specific data are available on rates of IPD in the adult population. A retrospective chart review of all patients with IPD (identified prospectively) in the province of Alberta, Canada (population ~3·3 million) was conducted from 2000 to 2004 to study the epidemiology of IPD. Rates of IPD in patients with various haematological and solid-organ malignancies were determined by obtaining the number of these patients at risk from the provincial cancer registry. Compared to the attack rate of IPD in the adult population aged ⩾18 years (11·0 cases/100 000 per year, 95% CI 10·44–11·65), there were significantly increased rates of IPD in those with lung cancer (143·6 cases/100 000 per year, OR 13·4, 95% CI 9·3–19·4, P