Granulocyte-colony stimulating factors for secondary prevention of leucopenia in patients receiving chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of GCSF as a secondary preventive adjunct to chemotherapy in the gynaecologic cancer patients who previously had grade 3-4 neutropenia or leucopenia from chemotherapy.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 94 chemotherapeutic cycles with GCSF as secondary prophylaxis in 29 patients with gynaecologic malignancy between January 1996 and April 2005.

RESULTS

The median age of the patients was 51 years (21-75). Most of the patients had ovarian cancers (19 cases, 65.6%). From secondary GCSF, grade 4 neutropenia was developed in 12 of 94 cycles (12.8%), and grade 4 leucopenia was developed in 5 of 94 cycles (5.3%). There were no patients developing febrile neutropenia after GCSF support.

CONCLUSION

Secondary GCSF prophylaxis was effective in preventing grade 4 leucopenia, grade 4 neutropenia, and febrile neutropenia.