Usefulness of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on neutropenia in patients of invasive mole and choriocarcinoma.

The effect of human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (hG-CSF) was investigated on the proliferation of choriocarcinoma cells in vitro. No growth-stimulating effect was observed. Then, 22 patients with invasive mole and 9 patients with choriocarcinoma who received combination chemotherapy were treated with hG-CSF when white blood cell counts decreased below 2,000/mm3. The duration of neutropenia was reduced significantly by 3-4 days with the use of hG-CSF. No side effects were observed. These results indicate safety and usefulness of hG-CSF as an adjunct to chemotherapy in the treatment of gestational trophoblastic disease.