Effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on hematopoietic recovery after peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation.

To examine the effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) on hematopoietic recovery after high-dose chemotherapy and peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation (PBPCT), 20 patients with hematologic malignancies were divided into two groups. One group was given G-CSF at a daily dose of 50 micrograms/m2 subcutaneously, the other received no G-CSF. Neutrophil recovery was accelerated in the G-CSF treated patients and exceeded 0.5 x 10(9)/l at a median of 10 days post-PBPCT compared with 14 days in the control group (p < 0.01). This reduction led to a decrease in antibiotic use and a trend toward fewer febrile days in the G-CSF treated group.